OK some of these are pretty funny you have to admit.  I never had t-shirts like this when I was a kid, maybe that is a good thing.  Source: http://www.snorgtees.com/

I went to the mall in San Francisco this afternoon to help my girlfriend pick out some outfits for work and was surprised at what Nordstroms is putting on mannequins these days.  What is going through retailer’s minds when they dress these mannequins?  Do retailers think this is what people want to buy and wear, or is their strategy simply a marketing gimmick?  The outfit on the right is half decent, but what is going on with the one on the left?

Even though outfits put on display can be outrageous, what people are actually buying these days tends to be pretty tame.  This topic led to an entire discussion on what the current state of fashion really is.  I think we are living in a time where people really do have a good sense of fashion, and I’d actually say people are dressing more “normal” than any point in the last 30 years.  I know we really can’t define normal but in 20 years if we look back at fashion’s current state will we be able to define it?  How would you describe our current state of fashion?

How awesome is that video?  Some people seem to have a chameleon tendency and to some degree I think I tend to be pretty good at acclimating to my environment.  I’m not a big ABC or Fox news person and tend to watch (well record) the CBS Evening News every night to try and stay up to date with what is going on in the world.  Prior to Katie Couric doing the news it was Bob Schieffer and I have to say I really liked him.  He seemed to be a genuine guy and this will probably make you laugh but my favorite thing about Mr. Schieffer is the man knows how to pick out and wear a tie.  Unlike the chameleon who emulates his/her environment, Mr. Shiefer wears the brightest and most bold ties which seems uncharacteristic of his generation.  He ocassionally is a special correspondent now and I think he does Face the Nation which I don’t watch, but next time you see him on TV check out his tie choices.

My favorite thing to wear outside of work is a plain gray t-shirt and for as long as I can remember it has always been that way.  Simon Cowell likes his black shirts and frankly I like mine gray.  Slowly over time I’m transitioning out of that but ironically as I write this I’m wearing a plain gray t-shirt.  I tend to wear lots of earth tones but when I have to dress up for work my favorite thing to wear is a white shirt with a bright red tie followed by a blue shirt with a yellow tie.  If you look at the psychology of colors wearing red apparently means that I am “full of energy. Red ties are usually worn by outgoing personality types. It shines full of optimism and it increases enthusiasm. The brighter the red the more emotionally intense it is. Wearing a darker red tie, such as burgundy or maroon, is more conservative. They are popular ties for politicians for example.”  To see what personality type you are according to your favorite tie color click here.

I was walking yesterday with someone who had twisted their ankle a few days prior which led to a conversation about shoes.  I said I had seen Tim Ferris wearing glove like shoes for your feet and had heard even before seeing them that running barefoot was actually better for you than wearing tennis shoes.  Ironically I saw an article today about Vibram’s FiveFingers “shoes” which basically let you go barefoot without tearing up your feet so I decided to blog about it. The premise is going shoeless allows the foot to flex and better absorb shock.  When people wear shoes they tend to land on their heels.  Wired has a great article about it if you want to read more.  I think if you were to wear them you would probably get some strange looks but has anyone tried them yet?

Found this clothing site which puts funny Twitter related messages on T-shirts.

Bought Tyler a T-Shirt and I’m a coffee cup guy so it was calling to me.