08 December 2008
03 December 2008
27 November 2008
Information: Tight Pants
Why Tight Pants Are A Health Risk
Published by October 26th, 2006Perhaps you’ve heard it said before that wearing tight pants can cause infertility in men…maybe that’s why you don’t wear tight pants. According to an alleged scientific study, Swedish men in the 1970s were found to have higher infertility rates than men in surrounding countries. After much detective work, the scientists formulated the “Swedish Tight Pants Theory” postulating that the higher incidence of wearing tight pants in Sweden was to blame for lower sperm counts.
Whether or not this study is true, it is widely believed (among doctors as well as laypeople) that tight pants do in fact damage the testicles and can cause infertility or cancer. But that’s not all. Wearing tight pants is associated with a host of negative consequences for both men and women. For starters, the same reason tight pants causes infertility problems in men (overheating of the crotch area) can cause yeast infections and urinary tract infections in women.
According to Pravda, tight pants also limit the mobility of hip joints, cause stretching of joint capsules, and negatively affect the spine. A too-tight waist constricts the abdominal area filled with vital organs, causing problems such as reduced lymph flow from the pelvis, improper immune system function and poor circulation.
Wearing “low riders” or “hip huggers” might result in compression of nerves, which leads to a burning and tingling feeling in the legs. In 2003, during the height of the hip hugger trend, a Canadian doctor wrote a letter to the Canadian Medical Association Journal in which he observed meralgia paresthetica (a nerve disorder similar to carpal tunnel) occuring in the thighs of “three mildly obese young women between the ages of 22 and 35, who had worn tight “low-rise” trousers (also called hiphuggers) over the previous 6 to 8 months.” Harvey at Bad Example agrees, hip hugger pants are just bad news. His hilarious post describes people who stuff themselves into hiphuggers as sporting the “muffin look.”
Fortunately for our health, tight jeans are no longer as much of a fashion-must for women and are actually a fashion “oh no you didn’t” for men (somebody please tell him that).
This Thai website about the jeans manufacturing industry hilariously reminds those of us old enough to remember (fortunately, not me) the dangerous fashion trend that produced the terms “skin tight” and “spray on” jeans:
We have all heard the stories from back in the 1970s, when teenage girls, especially in the USA, would buy their jeans so tight that they’d hardly fit in them to begin with and how they would then soak in a bath tub took make certain that their wet jeans would dry up to look like, and certainly feel like, nothing short of a second skin. Today’s skinny jeans have a much more comfortable fit and feel, but the principles are pretty much the same as they were with the wet tight jeans back in the old days.
Most people will remember that these wet jeans or dried up jeans had to be surgically removed on more than one occasion, but in current times the number of wet jeans removals in emergency rooms of hospitals have, fortunately, decreased a lot.
So, let’s hear your thoughts on this issue. Are tight pants a thing of the past or a clear and present danger? Even better, send a picture of you (or someone else) wearing absurdly tight pants.
26 November 2008
Hats & Hat Nots
| Tuesday, 25 November 2008 Rike Feurstein - Berlin | ||
 You can often divide people into two distinct groups - "hat people" and "non hat people". Wearing a hat takes confidence, courage and a unique personal style. Whether the hat is worn for comfort or a statement or both, the choice of hat says a lot about the person. Rike Feurstein (a self-confessed hat-aholic) has done a lot for the hat industry with her clean, minimalistic, sculptural shaped designs. Her unique perspective breathes new life into classic shapes with the choice of irreverent fabrics or colours. She references iconic shapes from the 40's and 60's and reworks the look by injecting her own twist. Rike studied in New York and London before opening her own studio and showroom in Berlin and has an international stockist's resume including Barney's, Saks, Harvey Nichols, Tsum and Le Bon Marche. – Kate Vandermeer | ||
18 November 2008
My Favorite German Person
Werner Herzog documentary shortlisted for Academy Award
Published: 18 Nov 08 10:29 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20081118-15592.html
German film director Werner Herzog is among the 15 filmmakers who have made next year’s Oscar shortlist for best documentary film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills has announced.
- Inmate escapes German prison in cardboard box - Society (18 Nov 08)
- Rats return to Pied Piper's Hamelin - Society (18 Nov 08)
- Russia returns looted church windows - National (17 Nov 08)
Herzog is known for stunning documentaries such as “Grizzly Man” which chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell.
Errol Morris, who won an Academy Award in 2004 for his documentary "The Fog of War," is in the running for the 81st Oscar as well. This year's nominee, “Standard Operating Procedure,” is a study of torture in Abu Ghraib in Iraq and has already earned him the Silver Bear at the 2008 Berlinale film festival in February.
Nominations in all categories will be announced on January 22, with the awards taking place exactly one month later in Hollywood.
10 November 2008
Stuff in our store right now!
06 November 2008
Swedish Knitter
Sandra Backlund — not your average knitter
Sandra Backlund works many long hours in her workshop in Stockholm. Photo: Caroline Tibell/Scanpix
When it comes to fashion, Sweden is often associated with ready-to-wear brands such as H&M and Cheap Monday. But fashion capitals Paris and Milan had better look out, because Stockholm is edging its way into couture and avant-garde clothing. And the new Swedish fashion generation is eager to experiment — who would have thought knitwear would be the talk of the catwalk?
Warm and woolly fashion
Sandra Backlund, Sweden’s knitting artist extraordinaire, first discovered her calling in fashion as a student at Umeå University in northern Sweden. After studying more theoretical subjects such as art history, she enrolled in a textile class.
“I really found what I was looking for there,” she says. “I think my interest in fashion came from that, in combination with being a young girl in a small town in northern Sweden where I often had to make my own clothes.”
 |  |
Two woolly creations from Sandra Backlund's fall/winter 2008-09 collection "Last Breath Bruises." Photo: Annika Aschberg
Backlund describes her design aesthetic as “a combination of science fiction and sheltered, warm pieces of fantasy.” She enjoys exploring the human form through fashion: “Designers have always used things like corsets and shoulder pads to shape the body — I’m just doing it with wool. I consciously dress and undress parts of the body to seek dynamic shapes. I like the softness together with the sharp silhouettes.”
Handmade creativity
Although it’s clear Backlund adores the warmth of wool, the pieces in her fall/winter 2008-09 collection, “Last Breath Bruises,” are anything but your average sweater. Her handmade, slightly outlandish attire features heavy architectural construction and large silhouettes.
Backlund doesn’t create her garments based on patterns, but designs as she knits. “I like to make the pieces as I go,” she says. “You don’t have to take things apart. You can improvise without having to deconstruct.
“The handicraft process and the handmade feeling are very significant. I experiment a lot with different materials and techniques, but I think I’ve found the ultimate way to express myself through my heavy wool collage knitting.”
Some of Sandra Backlund's creations are now on tour with the exhibition "Swedish Fashion — Exploring a New Identity" (read more in the right column). Photo: Nina Andersson
Award-winning design
The 33-year-old designer started her own label in 2004 after graduating from Beckman’s School of Design in Stockholm. Since then, she has taken the Swedish fashion scene by storm, sweeping up awards such as the 2008 Swedish Elle Award and the 2005 FutureDesignDays award for up-and-coming talent.
Backlund has also caught the eye of the international design community. In 2007, she won the Festival International de Mode et de Photographie in Hyères, France, which she says was probably the moment she realized just how successful she had become.
She also collaborated with Louis Vuitton on several knitwear pieces for their fall/winter 2007-08 collection and worked with Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia for the Protégé Project, a competition where five young designers are mentored by prominent figures in the fashion world.
Promoting slow fashion
Despite her success, creating two handmade collections per year with 10 or more individual pieces can be challenging. As she explains it, “what I do — it’s not possible to rush.”
In particular, Backlund finds that running her own company takes time away from her true passion. “There is so much going on except the actual design process,” she says. “It’s really hard to find the balance between the creative and the commercial.”
 |  |
And you thought knitwear couldn't be glamorous? From the "Last Breath Bruises" collection. Photo: Annika Aschberg
She also struggles with the pace of the fashion business. “There’s this pressure to constantly renew yourself. For me, this is not the ultimate form of expression. I like to recycle ideas. It’s a bit of a reaction against fast fashion.”
A lone wolf
Backlund often sequesters herself in her studio with her knitting needles. For her, solitude is a way of life, as her passion for her work comes at the expense of her personal life. However, she says the long hours and repetitive movements of knitting have begun to take their toll.
She has recently come to accept the fact that she can’t do everything herself, and is trying to find ways to lighten her load. Backlund is exploring the possibility of collaborating with an Italian knit specialist to produce more wearable, commercial pieces, and would like to focus more on accessories, such as bags and hats.
Backlund says the challenge lies in that she sees her garments more as pieces of art than clothing. “I don’t want to make a scarf just like any other you find in the store, except four times the price because it’s handmade,” she says.
But like the slow process of her knitting, Backlund doesn’t want to rush to any quick decisions: “I need to do it in my own way.”