Fashion Futures

FORECAST

F A SHION F U T URES

By Michael Macko

Wear Your Heart On Your Chest

Why is it that anything designated a “gift” seems to become automatically tacky? I always try to follow the tenet of not giving anything I wouldn’t want to receive. So I was hugely disappointed when I started a search for Valentine’s Day gift options and came up with a lot of naughty underwear and heart-shaped candles. Surely we can do better than that! So my search changed to discovering the one perfect Valentine’s Day gift that everyone would like, that you could share on social media and that would not break the bank.

I found it from our friends Imogene + Willie down in Nashville, who themselves (Carrie and Matthew) are a Valentine’s love story: friends in 6th grade, married 20 years later. They started the Imogene + Willie line in a defunct service station, primarily because they couldn’t find the perfect jeans for their imperfect bodies. Then came T-shirts. This one, with the imperfect heart, is the perfect gift for anyone. At $68, you can afford to treat your Valentine to some takeout as well. For more information, please check out https://imogeneandwillie.com.

DAYS OF DIRT

In an old quote by author Myrtle Reed, one of her characters says, “I’ve just washed my hair and can’t do a thing with it!” While seeming frivolous, it holds a kernel of truth.

There’s much talk in the grooming industry about how often you should wash your hair for optimum health and growth. On the days you do lather, rinse and repeat, more care must be paid to which follow-up product and how much to use.

A styling cream called Days of Dirt might make you think twice about using it: you just cleaned your hair, why make it dirty again? Counterintuitive for sure, but the ingredients are all the good things that make freshly washed hair look less fluffy, more sleek and lived in.

And while the product speaks for itself, one should know that it comes from the talented mind and hands of Jason Schneidman, a Southern California native and celebrity stylist known as the Men’s Groomer (@themensgroomer), who tends the manes of such marquee heads as Andrew Garfield, Bruno Mars, Jonah Hill, Jimmy Fallon, and K. J. Apa.

Schneidman, who has been clean and sober for many years, also takes to the streets to provide haircuts and the return of dignity to the homeless. He created a foundation to fund the work, which is fueled by sales of his grooming products, and says, “I’m using what God gave me and what I learned early on in recovery to change someone’s life. That’s the power of a haircut.” For more information or to purchase Days of Dirt, please visit https://californiaborn.com.

I’m with the Brand

In 1978, a 14-year-old me bought my first concert shirt at the Nassau Coliseum. Unfortunately, my best friend and I missed the ELO concert, having misjudged the travel time from New Jersey to Long Island. As our empty bus pulled into the parking lot, people poured out the doors. We swam upstream to the lobby, nursing our wounds with $8.99 T-shirts purchased out of large cardboard boxes in the lobby.

In the past 25 years, concert merchandise has changed tremendously. One can now show one’s band loyalty with items from the lowly mass-produced T-shirt, button, and patch to high-end designer products, many with unexpected fashion twists.

Those concert tees can now cost $140 or more, but in a vintage wash so soft you won’t want to take it off. The fact that it comes from a brand like John Varvatos, whose NY flagship store is the former CBGB nightclub, adds to its validity.

Nixon has collaborated with the Rolling Stones, resulting in a collec-

Clockwise from above: John Varvatos T-shirt, Schott Grateful Dead Perfecto jacket, Vans X Led Zeppelin hightops, and Nixon Rolling Stone Primacy watch.

tion of watches ranging from $150 to our favorite, the Rolling Stone Primacy, at $1,600. Only 250 were made, individually numbered and including a unique woven tongue logo along with an anti-glare sapphire crystal, scratch-resistant coating and a 10 ATM/100 m water rating. A standout band/brand collab is the Grateful Dead tie-dyed version of the iconic Perfecto motorcycle jacket, made from a medium-weight, hand-dyed calf suede. The blueand-fuchsia-tanned hides are then tied in a bullseye pattern and dyed black to create unique one-of-a-kind patterns on the suede that are then cut and sewn into jackets. There’s also exclusive lightning hardware and a black bandana lining, all for $1,275.

Finally, you are too late to get a pair of Vans x Led Zeppelins for the original drop price, but they are readily available on resale sites like GOAT, averaging around $250, depending on the size. The SK8-Hi honors the 50th anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut album in a black canvas and leather upper detailed with artwork from the album cover, capturing the demise of the Hindenburg airship.

Retailers might have noticed a favorite men’s jewelry brand is no longer around, but not to worry, M. Cohen has evolved into the new name of MAOR, the designer’s first name. Cohen began to develop this eponymous fine jewelry brand in early 2017 with a desire to create a unisex, jewelry range with luxe materials - gold, diamonds, and precious stones. At the time this was a niche market, but MAOR is now on trend as jewelry couples can share, no matter their gender or pronoun preferences. To see more of the collection visit: https://www.maorofficial.com/

Meet MAOR