Land of Style

Suprise!

2010-07-23T20:02:00.001-07:00

And here I had thought that the name Land of Style didn't belong any
big company. Wrong. Check out landofstyle.com.

The Future of Fashion

2010-07-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

The future, we see it in films and we read about it in magazines. But what is the future of fashion?

Here are some people's ideas:

It's not all about bold designs and shiny fabrics either

What do you think we'll see in the next five or ten years?

Flowers

2010-06-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Right now our minds are all on the beach, the sun, the water, and talking about flowers may seem a bit odd at this time but I thought I'd share this with you anyways.

The Season of Inspiration

2010-06-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

Like the relaxing drizzle of a waterfall, rain gently falls outside my
open window. The feeling is sublime. The soothing smell of fresh air
streams through the window with a cool breeze.

The rain is amazing. The rain is the music of spring. Each drop is
like a tiny capsule of freshness, falling to burst open upon the
earth. It brings with it a calmness to soothe our worries and bring
imagination to our minds.

Spring is amazing. Flowers have blossomed and the trees are shining in
green beauty. This is the season of inspiration. It is the time to
take in nature's beauty. Soon the the heat of the summer sun will
again emerge and we will travel down another path, one of different
beauty.

The Dress For Summer

2010-06-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is only days away. One of the most popular pieces of clothing for summer is the sundress. Here are some sundresses that may inspire you:

An Incomplete Sketch

2010-05-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

I still need to draft up a jacket that is to go with this frock.

Chain Maille

2010-04-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Give a skilled artisan a pile of rings and they can weave you a beautiful piece of jewelry. Many chain maille weaves exist, from the simple to the highly complex. Only the basic weaves resemble the armor worn the by the combatants of long ago. Many of the weaves that form necklaces and bracelets are quite intricate, but they all were started from a pile of metal rings.

It's an ancient art, one that survives today. In the middle ages, a highly skilled artisan's name could be known from country to country, from language to language. Some artisans were so talented that only kings and men of great wealth could afford the hefty price, but their armor was greatly treasured.

Although there's little need for chain maille armor today (unless you swim with sharks), the art lives on. Artisans, mostly unknown, toil away in their spare time. They sit in loneliness, tools in their hands, weaving away. Many hours can be spent on just one necklace. Their craft is usually available at a reasonable price, they will weave nearly whatever you can conceive (and afford), from a simple bracelet to a complete skirt trimmed in gold chain.

But you need not seek out an artisan. Even Macy's can be found selling chain maille jewelry and many chains and articles of maille clothing can be found online. Although it does well with military-styled trends, you can wear maille necklaces and bracelets with nearly any outfit.

Long live chain maille.

Summer!

2010-04-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

The weather is starting to blow through our windows like an air of relaxation. We can smell it in the air. We're starting to think of the waves calmly smashing into the beach and the sounds of birds singing and people having a great time. We're thinking of summer. It's almost here.

When we think of the summer we think of the sun and we dress to let our bodies soak in its rays. Aside from the usual shorts and tees, loose-fitting, flowing dresses are perfect summer wear. Think bright colors, abstract patters, and swirls of color. The summer dress is the epitome of expression with countless variations to suit your style.

Of course, you can roll in style with a sweet pair of jeans and a tee or tanktop. Pinks, yellows, and blues are perfect. Plus, faded and ripped and torn denim is still going strong.

Guys like myself should be happy with relaxed and airy clothing. A loosely fitting button-down or a polo tee is perfect. Denim shorts and khaki shorts are great with the right shirt. And bright and cool colors are what to go for. It's all about the sun and the gentle breeze.

A Snowy Design Field

2010-03-01T07:26:00.001-08:00

Skiing. In my opinion, it's the ultimate winter sport. There's nothing
like the thrill of tearing down a hill at high speeds, cutting your
way through the wind and carving your track in the snow.

But there is another aspect to skiing, something that has nothing to
do with chair-lifts or speeding down hills. It is clothing.

Obviously, if you don't dress right you'll freeze, but there is also a
fashion thing going on. You'll notice that there's a huge diversity of
winter gear that people wear. I've seen everything from micro-textured
jackets to an attention-grabbing white coat and pants with brightly
colored diagonal stripes running down. There are tons of different
styles and designs and colors to be found on a ski run, including some
breathtaking outfits.

Everytime I see this huge diversity of winter wear, my mind begins to
wonder over all the design possibilities.

Of course, designing a ski jacket is quite different from designing a
dress or a suit. You have to think about keeping the wearer warm while
also bringing aesthetics into the scene. But the result can be the
stylish skier that has everyone's attention.

Head to a resort sometime and observe. You may be inspired.

Calling For A Greater Diversity In Denim

2010-02-17T13:29:00.001-08:00

The color of our shirt varies from day to day and yet our legs mostly
remain locked in blue.

When we work to make an outfit work we try to bring together colors
that go well together, but when wearing blue denim we may be limited
to mainly color matching our upper body.

We can, of course, buy denim it other colors but I don't think we yet
quite have a big enough variety. By having greatly varying shades of
blues, grays, blacks, browns, and other easy-to-wear colors at our
disposal, I think we could dramatically enhance our outfits. Variety
in fabric and color is the key.

More choices in denim will lead to better outfits.

The Relaxed and The Bold: Woman's Fashion Trends For Spring / Summer 2010

2009-12-09T20:51:00.001-08:00

I must say, next year's fashion trends are interesting.

We have, of course, the torn denim and patched denim trends. This
seems to be getting more pronounced with the rips growing somewhat
larger this upcoming season. Actually, the rips could be patternized
versus being random in order to create some cool looks!

Then we have the knee-high socks trend. This one is really cool with a
mini skirt. Some people are even layering the socks to create an
interesting look. We have below-the-knee socks, thigh-high socks and
more to choose from. This trend could be used to really make some
great looks.

Boyfriend blazers are in for next year. I guess you wear them in a
slightly larger size. Another interesting trend that could make for
some flowing results.

Now, for what is perhaps the boldest trend of all, we have the modern
warrior trend. It's a modern spin on an old vibe as we see this fierce
trend stylized by the warlords and warriors from the ancient world. We
find tunics, war paint, metal plateing, tribal symbolism, and more,
all at today's warrior's disposal. Taking the ancient and modernizing
it can result in some spectacular things and this trend is the perfect
place to do just that. Be fierce. Be creative. Wear with confidence.

And these are just a few of the trends coming to us next year.

Winter Wear for Guys

2009-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Winter is here! Some of you may have snow and some of you may never get snow. :) But it still is a colder season for all of us.

The trick this season is layers. Now whenever you're layering, warm colors go in the front and cool colors go in the back; this creates dimension and also draws attention to your face. For example, grey in front, white in back. But you can do things the opposite way, e.g. white on black, and still get some slick results.

Now as a guy, my favorite thing to wear underneath any shirt is latex under armor. The stuff is amazing! You can even pair it with a button-down and create a cool look.

Button-downs would have to be my personal favorite when it comes to shirts. Now that it's colder, we'll be pushing back our tees in favore of our long sleeved shirts. This is a great time for updating your button-downs. As always, a white one is the greatest thing a guy could have in his wardrobe, but graphical shirts seem to be all the rage these days, especially with the teen demographic. Of course, there's a time to go all graphical and a time to go formal, but they make for great casual wear if you're into flashing some style. Button-downs are also immensely flexible. You can leave them untucked, roll up the sleeves, leave the buttons undone, and so on.

And what you're wearing underneath is nearly just as important as what you're wearing on top. As I mentioned earlier, latex is a comfortable choice, but we also have crew cut tees and other things to wear. Go for a look where all layers compliment each other.

And we can't forget about henleys and regular long-sleeve shirts--just choose your style and roll!

When it comes to lightweight outerwear, we could go with just plain sweaters, or opt for pullovers and hoodies. Again, choose colors and styles that compliment each other. Pullovers are great since you can wear them like a sweater and flash whatever it is you're wearing underneath.

Happy winter!

Bold styles

2009-10-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

You'll be strolling the sidewalk or just watching a movie or something and you see this really bold fashion style, like spiky purple hair paired with a loud jacket and mini-skirt. Or on a guy, green hair or something that you just don't see everyone wearing. Personally, it's not my style to wear bold and exotic clothing, although I can be seen every once in awhile wearing a really bright shirt, usually just for the pleasure of blinding people.

These styles are the cutting edge of fashion. Pop stars like Lady Gaga are especially into this stuff. However, I don't see very many people dressing in a bold manner when they're just going about casual activities, but I don't live in the most style-ish area so things aren't likeley to come my way first. What I'm interested in is what styles will live into tomorrow, maybe even to become the next mainstream trend.
Should we pursue this modernism? Could something come out of this? Or should it just be left where it's at right now?

I guess time will tell.