Never Again: Flip Flops

I know I'm gonna get a lot of heat for this, but I guess my first new post needs to be something spicy.

Back in the day, once the summer came around, all I wore were flip flops. They were easy, didn't require socks, and could be slipped on or off at a moments notice. I was 16. At that time, my biggest concern was figuring out how many people I could cram into my two door '96 Honda Civic so that all my friends could go walk around the Southern Park Mall with me. Recently, I've been noticing flip flops everywhere, and realizing how not masculine they are. I don't know if its my obsession with shoes, but they're just very feminine to me all of a sudden, and this is coming from a person who wore a wine colored leopard patterned lightning bolt sleeveless shirt and leather pants to the mall the other day. The femininity of these "thong" sandals (Sisqo would be so proud) aren't the only negative of the flip flop. I've compiled a small list (as always, after the jump):

Avoiding the Cold: Thick Socks

The worst part of winter is just around the bend, and it's easy for us to forget how cold the first few months of the year can get. Most of us have packed away our sandals and light summer footwear, but that doesn't mean that we can't wear some of our lighter footwear in the winter. All we really need is a pair of thick socks.

Not let me preface the rest of this article with a few things. I am in no way, shape, or form telling you to wear your sandals in the winter with thick socks. If you have half a brain you will understand that. Summer footwear is summer footwear, and a lot of it is not acceptable to wear in the winter. Here are a few rules I've come up with in order to narrow down your thick-sock-appropriate shoe selection.

Never Again: Basketball Shorts

Ok, so before you all get your pitchforks, form a large mob outside of where I live, and demand to have my head on a stake, let me preface this article with a few sentences. We all love basketball shorts. Their comfort surpasses anything else we could possibly put on our body. These gifts from the gods allow men's balls to go whereever the fuck they want, provided we are wearing the correct underwear. And you know how men are about the comfort and freedom of their testicles. That being said, there is a time and there is definitely a place to wear this particular clothing item, and "Everywhere, every day, at every time" is not an option in my book. Before I begin to yell at you and tell you all the places that you shouldn't wear basketball shorts, let me show you a list of places that I have deemed completely acceptable to show off your favorite pair of baller legwear.

Thread Review: Rainboots

In honor of Sandy, I decided it was time to do a post about a clothing item that I utilize more frequently than the average young man. Yes, my friends, I'm talking about rainboots. The weather is fucking ridiculous out there right now, and if you've been outside for more than a few seconds you've probably come to the realization that the nike shox, boat shoes, or flip flops that are on your feet are no match for a storm of this magnitude. So how long will it be until they start making shoes that keep your feet dry in a hurricane?!?!

Oh wait, they already have.

Men are scared of things like rainboots. They are for girls, and heaven forbid if a guy did something girly. Lately, though, clothing designers have been coming out with men's rainboots that are anything but girly. Here's a few types of footwear that will keep your feet nice and dry in the face of hurricane Sandy.

Never Again: Ripped Jeans

We all remember them. We all wanted them. We all tried to make them ourselves with a pair of scissors or a piece of sandpaper. Ripped jeans. These were once a staple item in all of our 15-year-old wardrobes. I used to walk past the Abercrombie & Fitch window and look at the gorgeously tattered and paint splattered pairs of jeans, wishing my mom would just be "a cool mom" and spend $175 on that denim form of euphoria I wanted so badly.

Fast forward to today. I would not DARE buy anything that has rips, tears, snags, or paint on it. Remember your dad telling you how stupid you were for buying jeans with holes in them, and how you looked like a homeless bum when you wore them? Well, he was right. I could go off and bitch at you for another two paragraphs about how stupid you look in ripped jeans, but I'm not gonna do that this time. I'm just going to let my reasons speak for themselves.

The Basic Black Blazer

I love blazers. They are such a crucial step in maturing your wardrobe from "I still kind of dress like I did in high school" to "I'm kind of an adult and I sorta dress like one." Now that fall is starting, we are coming into the perfect weather to rock a blazer. This may be a big step for some of you, but once you get compliments on how good you look, I promise that you'll never want to go back.

Blazers can be tricky. It is very easy for you to look like you are trying too hard, and they are not always appropriate. Also, when people think "blazer" sometimes they think of someone wearing a full suit going to work, and they get scared. Throw the idea of a full suit out the window and don't let that scare you. I'm going to walk you through a few basic looks that will help you step up your wardrobe without taking too much of a risk.

The Basic Black Blazer
I think everyone should have a black blazer. it is perfect for stepping up any night outfit, and can be worn in a bunch of different situations. Photos by Jenna Kim.

Properly Wearing A Denim Shirt

The denim shirt has made a comeback as of a few years ago, and I'm not complaining at all. This trend has exploded in the past two years, and you can find denim shirts everywhere now. I personally love denim of any kind, so I own a few denim shirts and I wear them in a variety of ways. I think a denim shirt is a staple item that should be in everyone's closet, especially going into fall and winter. You may be intimidated, but don't be, because I have created a few basic looks that almost anyone can wear. Photos by Jenna Kim.