Calecia Biker in Lowrider issue #1

page 22, originally uploaded by Iowahawk Blog.

Lowrider bicycles are making a comeback, but they don't build 'em like they used to. Here is an original model from the first ever print issue of Lowrider Magazine. I love how his saddle is practically scraping the whitewall tires, about one foot off the ground. Also, nice hat!

The IowaHawk blog has more scans, but sadly, this is the only bike-related photo.

Stencil a t-shirt with bleach

Stencil Revolution posts a step-by-step tutorial on using spray bottle bleach to "tattoo" images on fabric. The roadblock for me is taking time to cut a proper stencil. If I can tackle that, this looks like an easy application technique with awesome results.

Bespoke menswear: DIY pocket square

A pocket square is the finishing touch that completes the fashionable man's ensemble. Without one, your coat pocket, it is naked. A well-selected pocket square should pop with a complementary flash of color, without detracting too much attention from the man who wears it.

"A gentleman always wears a pocket square."

--Austen McDonald

The bad news is a solid-color silk pocket square will set you back at least $15. Considering the sartorial importance of this little piece of fabric, why shell out the cash for a mass-produced one when you can make your own custom square for eighty cents? (or, in my case, have your wife sew it for you?)

The primary advantage to DIY is being able to exactly match the color of the square to a color in your tie or shirt. Once you've found your fabric, there are two ways to sew it up: the fancy way (which requires difficult rolling and stitching by hand), and the easy way (which involves ironing the side hems and sewing with a machine). Nobody will know the difference, except for you. Everyone else will be too busy admiring your classy outfit to notice that you didn't spend $35 on a hand-rolled pocket square.

How to tie a Windsor knot

Here is something that every gentleman should know how to do. Watch and learn.

Grand Prix report

The big event kicked off with St. Paul criterions last night. I biked to work so that I could head straight down for the start of the womens' race. Traffic into the city was messed up from having seven blocks roped off, which is approximately half of downtown St. Paul. This provided an opportunity to practice urban cycling as I wove between stopped cars.

The crowd at the actual event was sparse. It's a shame; I bet most of the condo-dwellers didn't even know that it was going on.

race photos by Matt Moses

Local blogging celebrities were out in force. Matt was acting as a crossing guard volunteer and taking digital photos of gentlemen in classy hats. I mention this (bloggers, not the hats) for a reason. As a member of the ranks of "influential cycling community bloggers" (yes I am), I was offered press access to the event. What did this mean for me? Lanyards and binders, biznatches!

I watched most of the men's race with John and Downtown Dave. The three of us walked the length of the course to observe from every angle. A storm was blowing in around the Twin Cities, filling the sky with dark cloud formations. It was a beautiful night to be outside. No rain fell in the city until it was all over.

The men were moving so fast that we stopped about once a minute to feel the breeze as they passed by. Potholes and manhole covers were marked with bright, double parenthesis lines, illustrating the uneven street surface. We didn't see any crashes, but they happened. Street signs and other hard objects were padded with hay bales to prevent racers from wrapping their faces around a post. The sweet country smell was cut with aromas of grilling meat and overpriced beer in plastic cups.

I missed the men's finish because I was in Mears Park talking to one of the designers from Twin Six. Twin Six is a locally-owned (Minneapolis) company producing "alternative cycling apparel." I don't have any need for a jersey, but if I did, I would wear the argyle one from Twin Six. They have t-shirts too.

These guys look pretty psyched about something

In lieu of firsthand observation, I hit the crowd for their opinions. One bystander described the womens' attire as "not tight enough." Maybe at the next race I'll use my media pass to ask a lady biker for rebuttal. Asked to comment on the action, local cycling legend Ron Storm summarized the race by saying:

"[The cyclists] were going around, and then they weren't going around any more."

SPC Vendor Feature #2

Of course we love all our vendors equally, but some are more equal than others. We received more than twice as many applications as we had booth space for this year's show. Between my wife and me, we narrowed them down. We picked some because I loved them, some because she did, and some because even though they weren't our cup of tea we knew that somebody else would dig it.

The fair will have something for everyone, but this blog is all about me, so I'm just going to talk about my favorites. I already mentioned it once or twice, but Cricket Syndicate is at the top of my shopping list for Saturday. One-of-a-kind, hand-sewn, box-cut briefs. With that much hyphenation, it's got to be good!

This model is displaying the cut of the under-pants and the fact that they are unisex, which is brilliant, but you can't see the best part: front panels made from recycled t-shirts. What a great idea! Each pair is unique, and you're sure to find something that fits your style (i.e., band, sports team, picture of wolf).

Voltage: Fashion Amplified

I heard that Voltage was canceled this year, but it was a lie! City Pages is running a feature about it called "Catwalk Confessional" (that's where I stole this image from). I'm not sure if it's already sold out, but I think that this would be a fun event to attend. A runway show set to rock & roll sounds okay to me. But... what would I wear?

List of Events:
April 4th – Voltage CD listening party (that's tonight!)
April 11th – Voltage: Fashion Amplified at First Avenue Mainroom
April 13th to 15th – Voltage Fashion Weekend

On sneakers, part 2: my new kicks

I have a general rule for sneaker ownership. I buy one pair of shoes, and I wear them every day until they are worn into the ground. I'm talking seams ripped open, heels broken out, stains, holes, and general total busted-ness. At that point, and no sooner, will I begin to look for a replacement pair (this applies to my wardrobe in general--one good pair of pants? I'm all set--but especially to sneakers).

As such, many of my former purchases have been primarily utilitarian. I like my shoes to look nice, but I prefer if they cost less than twenty bucks. I splurged on my most recent acquisition and got sneakers that feel comfortable and look good. I believe the total was forty dollars, a considerable sum, but supplemented by some gift money from my grandma.

The new shoes look nice. In fact, they might be a little too nice. For one thing, they are very white. The morning after I bought them, it was raining. I looked outside and started thinking about the mud, and what a shame it would be to get my new shoes dirty so quickly. Sneakers are supposed to be all-purpose, but I wanted to protect them. I started to seriously entertain the idea of purchasing an alternate pair of shoes.

Such a thing has never been done before.

(next: the thrilling conclusion!)

Hello Poketo friends

Say hi to Poketo Artist Wallets. They are limited edition vinyl bi-fold goodness. Now on their 11th series, they've featured several artists and designers with a wide assortment of styles. I would like to get one for myself. The problem is that the good ones (like the design by Hannah Stouffer, above) always sell out too fast. The whole point of Poketo is being able to hand-pick a favorite design. So far, I've missed out on the good ones, so I am waiting until I find one that I adore.

I went through a phase when I felt that I should be growing up and doing fancy adult things, so I bought a (fake?) leather wallet. Later I changed my mind and covered it with stickers. Then I tried to peel the stickers off and destroyed it. The point is, I'm due for a new one. My next wallet will be a Poketo.

Format Magazine

Format Magazine popped up in my "came from" page at statcounter. It's fun to see who is reading the blog. Sometimes I meet someone interesting. Some times, like in this case, I discover a site that shares some of my interests. Urban art + fashion = awesome.

I set up this blog to talk about things that I think are cool. I know that it's working when cool things find their way back to me.

America's Next Tat Model

I love watching shows where I get to pass judgment on people. Who saw the premiere of Top Model? Anyone? Just me then?

Last night's episode began with a larger pool of girls (around 20) and was whittled down to 12 over the course of two hours. The lady above was removed in the first round of cuts. I was not surprised, but somewhat confused why they bothered to introduce her in the first place. She would have been the most interesting contestant in the show. When she appeared on screen, I whispered, "she's my favorite." My wife glared at me.

As the only woman on the show with multiple tattoos, she's not only attractive, but very unique. I understand that beauty is not a prerequisite for modeling, and that being unique is actually a handicap (there was a big to-do about including two "plus-size" models among this season's participants). This makes sense. For practical reasons, it helps if all your models have approximately the same dimensions.

Of course, tattooed girls are not excluded for practical reasons. Tattoos don't interfere with your ability to wear a dress, but they might take the attention away from that dress and have people looking at the model instead. We can't have that! The model is a mannequin to display product. To the eye of a high fashion tastemaker, the difference between a size 6 and a size 14 is narrower than the gap between plainskins and those with decorated bodies.