I’ve been told on occasion I clean up well. That usually means a person is so surprised to see me wearing a dress shirt and/or tie they have no control over projectile vomiting that nonsense phrase in my direction. What does that even mean? Is it an implication that I go through life “unclean” most of the time? Does it assert that I forgo washing my shorts and t-shirts regularly, in favor of simply pulling them out of the pile and Febreze-ing them for re-wear? Does it I suggest that I don’t regularly shower in favor of having B.O.?
Wait — do I have B.O.? You guys would tell me, right?
I’ve decided to just file this with “Things White People Say” and move on. (Send your letters of complaint to Mary, P.O. Box Calm Down, Snowflake, AZ.)
Photo by Royal Anwar on Unsplash
Over the last decade, my policy has been to wear a tie to job interviews and funerals. And I haven’t been to any funerals. My hesitation to “clean up” is not because I don’t like looking sharp — a word my father used to use and I’ve come to accept as a perfectly fine descriptive word but I also have started using the word “slacks” so that may tell you something. Rather, I don’t like getting dressed up. Perhaps if Rosie from The Jetsons could drop-kick me into a suit every morning, I wouldn’t mind walking around looking like I am someone who lives to work rather than works to live.
So, bypassing the process would make a difference … temporarily. However, after two hours of being dressed up, I will undoubtedly be thinking about when I can get out of this clown suit. I mean, that’s plenty of time for enough people to see how nice I can look and maybe even capture a few pictures for posterity (or, perhaps a better word would be proof).
I’ve been lucky enough that for my entire professional career I’ve had the luxury of being able to wear whatever I want to the office. (I understand this policy can be a slippery slope. For example; I once worked at a place that had to include “No Chaps” in the dress code section of its employee handbook. Now, why do you suppose they put that in there?) I’m not one to push that envelope too far, although the flip-flop of my flip-flops as I ascended the stairs at Echo when I worked here full-time was a signal to everyone that I was approaching.
Photo by Hamza Baig on Unsplash
Let’s just say, I like to be comfortable. A lot of folks advise you should dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. That’s why I always dress like a lottery winner. And, honestly, I think all of us should.
It’s certainly not my place to tell people they shouldn’t wear a suit to work every day. But how many people stop to ask themselves why they are doing it? Does it make them more effective? Does it recharge Kevin’s brain so he can crunch those numbers better, or provide
Steve with the inspiration to draw sketches of houses?
The simplest answer is that it is “professional.” But what is dressing professionally, other than what society has deemed as such? People adhere to that notion of dressing like a Stepford employee because that’s what their father did, and his father and his father. Some of the most unprofessional people I’ve met were wearing Armani, and some of the most professional were wearing Adidas.
My work-attire choices may have cost me in the past, sure. There’s no question it is the main reason I never became a lawyer or a captain of industry.
Still, I think our country would be much more chill (a word I am using to counterbalance “sharp” and “slacks”) if we all just did business in casual attire.
I understand many of you won’t or can’t join me in this, but I’ll still be dressing like I’m always headed to a BBQ.
Lexi Morrison, business owner at House of Colour Phoenix is bringing confidence and color to Phoenix residents and reforming her services to address the need in redefined self-care.
Since the onset of the pandemic, many of us have let ourselves go, or gotten out of practice with public life, whether that's dressing appropriately for the office, an event, or just a night out on the town.
After months in track pants and tees, do you even know what color dress, neck tie or hair highlights would work for you?
Here's how Lexi can help.
Lexi provides premier color and style analysis services to men, women, and children of all ages to find what makes them look and feel their best selves.
Lexi educates hundreds of locals every year with their perfect colors and styles, providing confidence and insight on what to shop for in the future.
Here's how it works:
Our Journey through the House of Color Process-Meghan Tinker from House of Color youtu.be
During her style development consultation, Lexi shows you how to create an easy wardrobe specific to your body type and personality, providing confidence with what you wear everyday.
With color analysis appointments, Lexi walks through seasonal color palettes to determine which colors look best with you, and give you the natural glow with your skin, eyes, and hair. Once your colors are discovered, she shows you a 90 second makeup look and your "WOW colors", the colors that make you feel like the best version of yourself.
"At House of Colour we enhance your natural beauty by discovering your best colors using precision-dyed drapes and natural light. Each person is unique and falls into one of the four seasonal categories: Winter, Spring, Summer, or Autumn," says Lexi.
Lexi Morrison
You can even try it at home and see if Lexi's color pointers work for you:
Lexi's Tips For Brightening Up Your Winter Self
- Winter is a “cool” season, meaning your skin undertone is blue-based.
- You look best in colors that are clear, bright, vivid, or icy.
- Did you know? Winters are the only season that folks can wear black and it helps give you a natural glow! Black clothing, black eye makeup, etc.
- Winter colors are saturated and contrasting. They do well in jewel tones as well as icy, pale colors. When you dress, Winters look best with a light color, a dark color, and a bright color from their spectrum. This is to achieve that “high-contrast” look that is so flattering on them.
- For hair color, Winters also look best with contrasting colors. Black, white, gray/silver, ashy blonds, or cool browns. They do best to avoid golden, auburn, or other warm tones in their hair.
- For jewelry and accessories, Winters can wear white pearls, silver, platinum, white gold, or gunmetal.
Nashville may not be a cowboy town, but with its country music roots and smaller-town history, cowboy boots are something many visitors especially associate with the city.
And you see them on tourists, who pick them up in town, as well as on the red carpets. And, of course, the rainbow is the emblem of the LGBTQ community. So, rainbow cowboy boots.
The search for that perfect pair of boots took us FAR from the promise of the ‘Buy One, Get Two Free’ special hawked to tourists from billboards. In fact, it took us all the way to Cody, Wyoming, to master bootmaker Scott Emmerich, and his Falconhead Boots, Belts, & Buckles / Tres Outlaws brand—where a custom pair of handmade boots can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. In fact, the boots on our cover were a custom pair he made for a personal friend: made of vegetable tanned Kangaroo leather, these boots would have a retail value of $8,000.
Emmerich started his career as a bootmaker with a small shop in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1981. “In the beginning,” he told one interviewer, “it was basically just custom handmade boots and matching belts, then came buckles.” As his business grew, he moved to progressively larger stores. “I went from less than 50 handmade pairs of boots … to thousands.”
Over time, his name became synonymous with the best-made, flashy cowboy boot, and he drew the attention of many in the entertainment and music industries. While his boots have graced many Nashville artists, Emmerich maintains a confidentiality code with his customers. And that makes sense as his custom boots are very personally tuned to specific clients.
When Emmerich makes a custom pair of boots, he sends out a bio-foam kit to get impressions of the client’s feet. Then he designs the boots based on the customer’s physiology. The real creativity comes in conveying the personality of the client through a story-boarded creative process. “The design tells the story of each customer in a master designed boot.”
Photo by Andreas Dress on Unsplash
Those wishing to have a custom pair designed would begin the process by contacting him using the information on his site, shopfalconhead.com, beginning the process. Then, after the foam impressions are taken, clients work with Emmerich, giving him details about what they want in a design. Depending on the detail and design, the process can take 4 to 8 weeks at that point. Tooling one of his boots, Emmerich says, “is extensive and time consuming.” And if you visit his website, you’ll see why: the exquisite detail in event the boots he stocks is amazing. The artistry, and the materials, of course, means that custom boots will run somewhere between $2,500 and $25,000 in most cases.
But do check out what he’s stocking on his site, and if you ever find yourself in Cody, Wyoming, you can also visit his store to see them in person.
Can a high-heel shoe for evening wear even be gender-inclusive?
According to Daniela Uribe, of course it can! The Latin-founded, Italian-made, size, and gender-inclusive footwear brand has launched their newest style in a line of shoes that celebrities of all genders flock to.
Previously worn by Mindy Kaling, Mark Byran, and more, the celebrity favorite Be Yourself Pump is now available in an all silver colorway featuring a sleek signature logo heel and chains in both silver and gold.
Daniela Uribe gender-inclusive high heel pumps
The design of the shoe balances a sturdy sculptural look with comfort and elegance.
Uribe has taken the classic pump and given it a luxe twist. She notes, "This pump symbolizes strength. Confidence. Diversity. And most importantly, true, radiant joy. No matter your style, grace, or body. I find delight in who you are and I hope you do too. Step into your self-confidence. Be Yourself."
Daniela Uribe’s designs are becoming known for taking fashion paradigms and reviving them with comfort and elegance in mind. Believing that beauty comes in all shapes and, of course, sizes, the brand offers extended sizing up to size 45.
In this way, and as stated in the company's press release, the brand is "deeply rooted in inclusivity; setting out to create styles that are designed and measured specifically to accommodate every gender's feet."
All products have been equally tested on both male and female feet to deliver the same sleek look, stability, and exceptional comfort. The secret to their comfortably designed footwear is the cushioned insole with added arch support and extra metatarsal padding to provide true, real comfort.
Not only that, the brand gives back to the LGBTQ+ community in a practical way. Daniela Uribe is a proud partner of the Stonewall Community Foundation and for every pair of shoes sold, $5.00 will be donated to Stonewall in order to help make a difference in the issues that matter in LGBTQ lives.