Once upon a time, ties were the definitive Father's Day gift. Fathers don't wear so many ties these days, but guess who does: their hip kids! And nothing says "hip" more than a Psycho Bunny tie. If you're looking for a cool gift for a 20-something hipster, go counter-retro with one of these. They're on sale at NeimanMarcus.com for $83; use coupon code "SHOPNM" for free shipping!
My friend Stella Hagenburger finally had enough of Barneys New York (Beverly Hills), and walked out six months ago. Last week, she started working at Martin + Osa, the new "refined casual" clothing brand from American Eagle. The shopping experience is a pleasure. The fresh scent of cedar permeates the store (and the clothes you take home!), dressing rooms feature a staff call button and bottled water, and the sales staff is friendly, helpful and engaging Oh, and the clothes are great! Inspired by the lives of naturalist adventurers Martin and Osa Johnson,
the casual designs are comfortable, stylish, well-crafted and well-priced. Shop online with free shipping and free returns, or check out one of their 20 U.S. stores in person. If it's the LA outpost in Century City, ask for Stella, and tell her Billy sent you.
I was in LA last week, and stopped by the new A Bathing Ape store. A Bathing Ape is a cool Japanese limited-edition street wear clothing brand that has just landed at 8001 Melrose Avenue. If you're in LA (or NY at 91 Greene St) you should check it out (unfortunately, they don't sell online, though you can find some items on eBay.) They're just down the street from the DC Shoes store, where I picked up a great pair of super-comfy flip flops: The DC Cabo. Buy them online -- free shipping, no tax, free returns and a 10% discount at shoebuy.com.
I'm in Brazil for the next two weeks, where tourists are well advised to avoid wearing fancy watches or jewelry. So I'm sporting the Snap Watch. I've had one of these watches for about six years. They're perfect for any situation where you'd worry about losing or breaking an expensive watch. And they're waterproof, so they'll handle hiking in the Amazon, or spilling a Piña Colada. Buy one for $8 at REI.com.
As an Avon Representative, I'm very proud to be associated with the #1 corporate supporter of breast cancer research and health services, and I've sold my share of Pink Ribbon pins, pens and lipsticks. (Other companies may get more publicity, but none have raised and granted more money than Avon.) Back in 1992, those Pink Ribbons served to raise awareness and money. But today, they feel a little bit like just one more junky fund raising trinket. That said, please go ahead and buy them anyway. But the folks at Save 2nd Base have a clever concept that takes pink fund raising to a new level. While the charity they support is not rated by Charity Navigator, their tongue-in-cheek, "pink with a wink" t-shirts give a second look to a disease that deserves all the attention it can get. $20 at Save2ndBase.com.
The Six Degrees of Separation concept dates back to 1967, when Harvard professor Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment that determined that most people in the US could be connected within a social network of five or six steps. (This was a much more benign study than the Milgram Experiment he conducted while at Yale, a frightening examination of obedience to authority.) The Small World Phenomenon was most interestingly examined in a New Yorker magazine article: Six Degrees of Lois Weinberg. But to most of the world, Six Degrees refers to actor Kevin Bacon, who founded SixDegrees.org to encourage charitable social networking. The Six Degrees T-shirt can be yours if you create a Charity Badge at the SixDegrees.org site, and use it to get six people to donate to your charity. The badge leading to the largest number of donations will receive a $10,000 matching grant. Or you can show your support by buying the T-shirt at Hanes.com.
For the fifth year in a row, Freshpair is celebrating National Underwear Day
, with
giveaways and fashion shows in New York's Times Square. And once again, I'm out of town. I've already written too much about my underwear fetish but I couldn't let today go by uncelebrated.
You might want to celebrate by buying yourself a fresh pair... You'll find a wide selection with free shipping at Freshpair.com. Not to be outdone, Figleaves.com is offering to pay YOU for shipping (they deduct their standard shipping charge from your order of $50 or more with coupon code WEPAYYOU), and for truly unusual styles, including my current favorite from NastyPig.com (at right), check out International Jock
.
"Best" might be a stretch here. Maybe not the best ever. But "best of the moment" is only a slight hyperbolic exaggeration - and given the realm of night club hyperbole, and the short duration of Paris Hilton's jail stay, "of the moment" is good enough. I met Ralphi Rosario while I was in Mexico in April, and he was wearing this shirt. I was mesmerized. It's genius, and sure to attract a lot of attention... for the moment.
$39.99 at ThinkGeek.com.
I bought a pair of these unusual pants two summers ago, and there's still a favorite. Made in San Francisco by Cordarounds, who pioneered the horizontal corduroy pants, they're only available online. The seersucker is a nice summer weight, and the horizontal pattern is sure to rate a second look. Buy a pair today and show you're not afraid to take the direction less traveled.
My friend Andy admired a Trovata polo shirt I wore last summer, but I knew the price would scare him off. This one's on sale at eLuxury.com. Use coupon code MODE for free shipping.
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