All Entries in the "Fashion" Category

Blank Label Lets You Create Custom Dress Shirts From Your Browser

It’s not the first co-created dress shirt we’ve seen, but Blank Label’s design-it-yourself men’s clothing handily distinguishes itself with its affordability.  With made-to-order dress shirts starting at $45, it’s easily one of the most accessible ways to customize your business casual wardrobe.
Founded by Fan Bi and Danny Wong, the service lets you channel your inner Marc Jacobs and devise your own set of collared tops.  You put it together like you’re dressing up an Xbox Live avatar, choosing from a predefined set of shirt components, all while watching a visual image of the expected finished product.  Sure, your inner Marc Jacobs will probably have the same bad taste you have now, but, at least, you’re wearing something original.
Blank Label lets you customize almost everything that goes into the shirt, including fabrics (you can use different ones on a single shirt for contrast), collar size (wide, buttoned, narrow or normal), placket [...]

TruFocals Offer Flexible Focus, Questionable Looks

Need bifocals?  That figures – I heard you’re so old, people sell your pictures as antique on eBay.  You might want to forget the progressive lenses and slip on TruFocals, a pair of glasses with adjustable focus, so you can see perfectly “from up close to infinity.”
Created by Zoom Focus Eyewear, the specs aren’t all that different from the AdLens eyeglasses currently marketed to developing countries.  Except this one’s readily available to everyone over the web, so you can voluntarily accessorize your eyes with hideous-looking eyeglasses, regardless of your economic standing.

Each pair of TruFocals eyeglasses feature a two-lens design – one flexible and one firm.  The flexible one uses a transparent expandable membrane that’s attached to a rigid surface and is set closer to the eyes,  while the firm one stands in front of it, with a pocket between them.  A small amount of clear fluid sits in the divide, [...]

Emergency Cufflinks Make Sure You’re Properly Accessorized When Needed

Formality calls, but you left the cufflinks on the dresser at home?  Never be under-accessorized again with the Emergency Cufflinks, a functional set of men’s jewelry designed to hide inside your wallet.
Created by Wallet Essentials, the cufflinks are cleverly stored as cutout pieces inside wallet-sized steel cards.  Just push a pair out, bend the two ends and, like magic, you’re instantly dressed to impress for that big interview.  Now, if only you had any real marketable skills…

The Emergency Cufflinks come in sets of four, housed inside a 9 x 5.5 x 0.3 cm stainless steel card, designed to go conveniently in your wallet.  That way, you can be the most disorganized man in the world, yet still manage to have cuffs fastened like a real responsible adult.  Assuming you don’t forget your wallet, of course.
Whether you’re attending an impromptu wedding, meeting with bigwigs or trying to impress a hot lawyer, [...]

Casio Watches Can Be Non-Geeky Too

If you promised yourself you’ll never rock a Casio watch again, you might want to take your words back.  Moving away from the digital geekery that defined the brand in the 80s, the Casio Edifice Black Label Collection offers stylish timepieces that you can actually wear without hanging your head in shame.
Designed for men, the accessories definitely refresh the brand, sporting modern design and sleek lines that could pass off for arm candy, whether you’re striking out at the clubs, losing badly at the golf course or getting bullied by your superiors in the boardroom.  Hey, nobody said you were really cool now – you’ve just grown old enough to appreciate the value of watches without a black-and-white LCD and a built-in calculator.
The Black Label Collection comes with six models, each one bearing decidedly masculine looks and more mature features.  Two come with speed indicators, 48-city world times, full auto [...]

RuMe Cuff, A Coffee Sleeve That Doubles As A Wristband Wallet

Because it’s stupid to grab steaming coffee while it’s hot, you need a sleeve.  Since you’re conscious of your environmental footprints, you’d rather carry your own reusable sleeve.  And because you don’t have any more space in your pockets for another small item, you should be able to wear that reusable sleeve on your arm when not in use.  Now, arm bands aren’t really in style, so it needs to serve another function to justify wearing – like being a wallet, too.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what the RuMe Cuff brings.
A multi-function accessory, it obliterates any excuse you can potentially come up with for not having your own reusable coffee cup sleeve.  Yes, even when you don’t like coffee, since the sleeve can protect your hands from the numbing caused by iced teas and other cold drinks too.

The RuMe Cuff is a machine-washable sleeve/arm band, with a [...]

Chapfix, A Less-Girly Lip Balm For Men

Men don’t use lip balm.  Okay, sometimes we need to.  But, you gotta admit, every time your mountaineering buddy starts rolling one right after you’ve scaled a high rock, laughing at his metrosexual ass is all but mandatory.
How do you keep your manly pride while keeping away chafed, chapped, sunburned, cracked and windburned lips?  There’s never any guarantee you won’t get laughed at, but you might want to try Chapfix, a waxy moisture-sealant designed specifically for the uglier members of the species.
Created to fill a longstanding void in the market, the product adds a fourth option to your traditional lip moisturizing options of either a classic stick, a squeeze tube or a small tub.  Clad in a flat shape that looks like a lighter, it puts no added bulk to your pocket.  Plus, the low-profile container hardly looks like a lip balm, so you can sneakily apply it when your [...]

Go Ahead Punk, Make My Meal: The Denim Tabasco Holster

In a perfect world, every place selling anything edible will have a line-up of mouth-scorching hot sauce readily within reach.  Unfortunately, we live in a messed-up planet and it’s not uncommon to find yourself having to reluctantly bite down at a sandwich without any accompanying spicy condiment in sight.
How do you end the lack of proper punch to your meals?  By always carrying a bottle with you, of course.  In case, you can’t fit another “necessary gadget” in your pocket, you should arm yourself using this: the Denim Tabasco Holder.
The carrying contraption slots into your belt, allowing you to bring a 2oz bottle of the iconic pepper sauce wherever your appetite leads you.  Attending the neighbor’s backyard barbecue?  Never leave home without ammunition.  Camping in the woods?  Even crappy berries will taste nice with a little spice.  Heading out for lunch?  You never know with those cost-cutting bastards, so always [...]

Pocket Mirror Slips In Your Wallet, Bends When You Sit

You look good with the right hair.   Problem is, your neatly combed crop gets out of place within five minutes of stepping outdoors.   A comb and a mirror will serve you well on the road, except you’re not metro enough to carry a purse.   What to do?  Pair a small pocket comb with the wallet-friendly Pocket Mirror and look your spanking best all the time.
Devised by Pavel Sidorenko, the palm-sized reflector is small enough to fit in a wallet’s credit card slot.  That way, you can check your hair as simply as you can whip out your ATM card.  Imagine: no more sidling up to a parked car’s side mirror and making people think you’re gonna jack it.  You do look like a no-good hoodlum, so…
The Pocket Mirror is a light bulb-shaped reflector that you can use just like any regular mirror.  Light and slim, it adds no uncomfortable bulge [...]

HM4 Thunderbolt, A Really Elaborate “Horological Machine”

Let’s get it out of the way.  The HM4 Thunderbolt is not a watch, it’s a “horological machine.”  Which just happens to be a fancy name for a watch.  A really, really elaborate watch.
Created by high-end purveyors of wrist candy, MB&F, it’s claimed to be the result of three intense years of development.  While that would sound too much for an ordinary watch, this  stunning timepiece is certainly anything but ordinary.
The HM4 Thunderbolt sports a 54 x 52 x 24 mm aviation-inspired case that looks like the unholy union of miniature jet turbines and some weird steampunk aesthetic.  With a mechanism consisting of 50 jewels and 311 individual components, I’m almost ready to forgive them for calling the internals an “engine.”  But I won’t, because that’s just silly.  The case is made from grade 5 titanium, with see-through sapphire glass sections that let you see all the mechanical wizardry that [...]

Scottevest Carry-On Coat Has Pockets For Everything

Just when we thought wearable pockets can’t get any sweeter than their iPad-friendly vest, Scottevest just outdid themselves again.  This time, they try to get rid of actually carrying any luggage for a very short trip with the Carry-On Coat, which comes with pockets for more than travel essentials and electronics, offering compartments for a full of change of wardrobe, including shoes.  Yikes!
As with their previous creations, the trench coat features their vaunted weight management system (to keep the clothing from sagging when you’re carrying too much stuff) and NoBulge pocket design (we’re not sure how you can get away hauling a pair of shoes with no bulge, though).  All the crap is stored on the front interior area too, so everything is easily accessible without having to take the clothing off.
Suffice to say, the Scottevest Carry-On Coat has a pocket for everything you can reasonably stow away in a [...]

Recycled Goodness: Trusty Workshop Apron

Enjoy doing handyman projects in and around the house?    Keep yourself clean while getting the job done with the Field House Trusty Workshop Apron, a  “tough as nails” working garment fashioned based on hours of customer conversations.
Blackbird fixture Billy Bartels came up with the design, which he then forwarded to Seattle sailmaker George Broom, who took charge of building the actual product.  The result is a traditional apron with a bunch of useful accouterments and an undeniably sweet style.
The Field House Trusty Workshop Apron uses heavyweight, second-hand canvas materials, drawn from the back storage areas and scrap piles of local Ballard shops.   It uses a criss-cross harness system with a 0.75-inch cotton belting for comfort, two small chest pockets and a large pouch pocket with a flap cover (to keep away debris) and separate compartments (for small items like screws, nails and bolts).
With Ballard being home to plenty of woodworkers, [...]

Hi-Sun Beach Blanket With Speakers Puts Music In Tanning

Just when I thought beach towels were benign pieces of summer gear, somebody goes ahead and puts speakers in them.  Just be careful not to ruin the day for everyone else with loud music while you lounge in the sun with the Hi-Sun beach blanket, which comes armed with “amplified speakers” to play your favorite death metal setlist for everyone in the vicinity to hear.  Attack from the grave and descend from the pits of hell, anyone?
Created by Hi-Fun, the summertime accessory is billed as a three in one: a beach towel, a portable speaker system and a backpack.  Yes, it can transform into its own carrying rucksack too, allowing you to sling it over your shoulder for easy transport.

The Hi-Sun lays out into a 100% cotton blanket measuring 5.9 x 2.6 feet, with a compartment along the top where two 2W speakers are installed.  Equipped with a 3.5mm connector, [...]

iPhone 4 Cases: So You Can Stop Holding It All Wrong

What’s cooler than an iPhone 4?  An iPhone 4 with a covered antenna. Seriously.  Ever since the iPhone 4’s exposed antenna problems have come to light, there’s been an unprecedented interest in covering up the smartphone’s exterior.
No one’s really sure  whether this is a hardware limitation (you touch a live antenna, you will affect it) or something that could be fixed by a software update.  For now, grabbing a new skin for your handset is the only real solution.  And, as always, we’re nice enough to round up some of the coolest iPhone 4 cases available today.  You’re welcome.
Now we know why Apple, who never produced an iPhone case before, is releasing one (the Apple Bumper case) for iPhone 4.  The damn thing’s broken without one.  Unlike the function-rich iPad case, this one’s all about style and protection.  And covering up the antenna, of course.
Case Mate has some gorgeous cases [...]

HoodieBuddie Puts Headphones In Your Hoodies

You know those dangling strings around the neck of your hoodies? Yes, those strings you never actually use to tighten the hood’s fit.  Well, someone found an actual use for it with the HoodieBuddie, which replaces the strings with a pair of earbuds for your tangle-free, on-the-go entertainment.
Created by Jerry Leigh Apparel, the buds are integrated directly on the shirt.  The 3.5mm jack is available from the pocket with all the wires tucked securely within the seams of the clothing.  Just pop your iPod into the front right pocket, pull up the buds to your ear and enjoy your music without having to bring an extra set of cabled earphones along.

The HoodieBuddie will be available in various colors and designs, all of them fitted with earbuds from HB3 Technology.  If you’re not familiar with the company, they specialize in outfitting garments with audio and communication tech.  In this case, they [...]

Axe Back Sling: Utility Wear For Your Bladed Wood Chopper

When you need to hide a gun, you carry it on a holster under your suit.  If you prefer chopping your enemies’ heads off instead of blowing their brains out,  you hide an axe behind your back with this: the Best Made Axe Back Sling.
Sure, you’re barely keeping it hidden from someone looking from behind.  But if you put a thick jacket over it, we doubt anyone’s going to notice. Short of putting a cloak of invisibility over the chopping implement, this is probably as discreet as you can hope to get.
The Axe Back Sling is made from 8-10oz vegetable-tanned cowhide leather, with solid brass hardware details and enough flair to make the amateur lumberjack inside you blush.   Designed to hoist around your shoulders like a backpack, it keeps both the head and handle flat on your body, keeping it out of the way for maximum comfort.
Hand-crafted by Rilleau Leather [...]

EOS Mixtape Watch Straps A Cassette Tape To Your Wrist

Miss cassette tapes?  Neither do we.  Those things were cumbersome.  Still, many folks have beloved memories of the olden recording medium, from the first albums they bought to traded mixtapes of all sorts and inclinations.  EOS brings the retro recording medium back, but wisely keeps it away from music, with the EOS Mixtape Watch, a timepiece that features a steel case clad in a cassette tape design.
When I first saw it, I seriously thought the ribbon wound from one side to the other and that’s how it told time.  Which would have been awesome.  Well, it does, but only for the seconds (it turns one pace per second).  For the hour and minute, it’s got two luminous hands on the right side, feintly hidden underneath the tape mechanism, and that’s how you’ll really know you’re late for work. Again.
The EOS Mixtape Watch uses an anodized stainless steel body, paired with [...]