M i s t l e t o e.
You can never have enough mistletoe hanging. Happy kissing and to all a goodnight..Ho ho Hoe..hehehe
What’s The Fashion Forecast?
We were recently interviewed to help forecast urban fashion trends for 2014. Read what we at the Mouse’stache had to say.
Interviewer: Looking at the different categories under ‘Urbanwear’, (Heritage, Ivy League, Contemporary, Street) Can you share with us some reasons which have contributed to ‘Heritage’ taking up the said share in 2011? What are some market drivers and trends that will influence the growth of these categories? Which of these drivers do you think will become more significant in the future?
Mouse’stache: History and education play a leading roll in why Heritage and Ivy League is so called in. Educating ourselves on where we are from is in style. We are a smarter generation as a whole. Not so much because we were born into educated families that put education first, but because style and our peers demands this of us. Fashion is a way to express how savvy we are. Yes we are educated in what is now, what is current and what is new. Africa is by no means new, however as a fashion trend it is new and very much in style. Our ancestors and natives of this country are by no means new. In fact they are rather extinct. Perhaps this is why their textiles have not been hotter since the day they roamed their planes. Our youth is standing up for the minority that they were once known to be. They relate to this under dog. While we still enjoy Thanksgiving turkey, (what is now more and more called “Turkey Day”) we are all well-aware of what it is all about. Maybe urban fashion adopted these textiles and trends as a way to give both thanks and our apologies. Or maybe we wear these prints much like the way we wear red, white, and blue. Heritage has always produced these textiles and styles, however they’ve never been as popular and known amongst our youth as they are today because we are styling ourselves in being educated. I believe that our: hip-hoppers, trend setters, gay fashionista’s, and street wearing junkies of 2011 relate to their society more then they ever have.
I believe this is due to the elected president Obama, a man of color and Democrat with similar views that our Urban style- wearing youth share. That being said, we find no shame in dressing the part. We are no longer emulating white-america. We are no longer emulating George Bush’s children so to speak. We can feel, look, act, be smart and not feel like a sell-out. We too have a place in the Ivy League. A place that looks like us and speaks out for us. It is also true that the hip-hoppers and rappers of the years past were not quite as mainstream as they are today. Today these trend setters are calibrating with artists of other genres. Making it easier for the whiter youth to relate. It is no longer the M.O. to be the richest dude in the ghetto rocking the gold chain. No! Now he’s the richest dude amongst the Ivy League kids attending Princeton University. He can afford their clothes and he can put some swag on them. And so we see Ivy League with blinged out grills and boating shoes paired with a blazer over a run dmc t-shirt.
Interviewer: How would you envision the ‘Heritage’ and ‘Ivy League’ category to perform in 2013? Would you say this is a reasonable and sustainable growth trend up to 2015?
Mouse’stache: As a stylist and art director I’ve styled a number of artists for music videos, models for high fashion editorial, as well as a number of lookbooks for: street wear, fashion, and clothing lines. I must say, I believe that both Heritage and Ivy League will have a strong influence in urban style in 2013. Just as urban street style adopted military fatigue shortly after the events of 9/11 and patriotic colors after Obama was elected for the first time. We young, smart, and trendy are becoming more proud of where we come from and what we see is possible to achieve in our future. We want to dress the part even if we do it paired with that worn, ripped t-shirt from back when we we’re misunderstood and didn’t care.
Interviewer: In the distribution channel for the ‘Urbanwear’ category. Amongst the following list of retail types, which are among the most popular of each channel type to the domestic apparel industry? Company Owner Stores, Department Stores, Hypermarketts, Other store based retailing, Online stores.
Mouse’stache: As far as clothing stores go, I can only speak for more metropolitan cites within the United States and mainly New York. We don’t do a whole lot of shopping at department stores, but if we do we shop: Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, Saks Fifith Avenue (Saks Off Fifth) and Nordstroms (Nordstrom’s Rack). I’ve never in my adult life shopped at hyper-markets within the USA although Paris has one that I adore called Monoprix. For the most part we shop company owner stores, online (Gilt) and other store based retailers. Lots of vintage, consignment and second hand stores(Beacon’s Closet Brooklyn).
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Interviewer: At this stage in the research, we would like to turn our attention to how natural wool is used as a fabric within the apparel industry. To start off, could you share what are some attitudes towards wool and the extent of wool usage in the industry? What are some possible factors which may affect the usage of wool in the market?
Mouse’stache: Wool is making a come back in New York urban fashion this winter. A number of lead designers belonging to are speaking out about “Campaign For Wool”, an organization started by The Prince of Wales. In cahoots with the above paragraph about today’s youth being smarter, wiser and in this case eco-friendlier…there’s no doubt we will follow the herd… so to speak…bahh. Heritage will support our willingness to integrate sheep’s clothing into our closets.
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For more on the: Designers, Stylists, Trend setters, Fashionistas and urban- street wearing junkies:
You Don’t Belong Here
Have you or someone you know been a victim of home invasion? The feeling of an intruder in your apartment is down-right creepy. Not only do you feel violated, but you feel scared and anxious 24-7. Everything you hear makes you jump out of your birthday suit. The aftermath isn’t any better. You never really do recover and it never really feels like your home. Where you once used to come home and relax in. My best friend Rebekka recently had a little intruder. Here’s her story and how I was there to hold her hand every step of the way.
It was a not-so-cold winter night last year. Rebekka was moving to Paris for the Fall and I was in her apartment helping her clean and pack up. We were sitting on her large wooden kitchen table. I remember it like it were yesterday. We were deciding on which pieces she should take to Buffalo Exchange or Beacon’s closet and procrastinating on what we like to call ” The Odds and Ends”. Out of the corner of both our eyes we saw a dark black shadow creep into one of the other rooms. It was alarmingly fast.
“Did you see that”? “Did you just see what I just saw”? Immediately we were filled with a hyper-sense of fear. We sat on that large wooden table for hours. I just remember thinking of living in New York as a single girl and how not once have I ever wanted a boy right then and there. Not even the times when I riding the subway at 4:00am in an empty cart. But this was a whole new different situation. One that all single New York girls think it will never happen to them and only happen to other single New York girls.
So there we were. Sitting on that large wooden table and munching off our manicures. I decided that I needed to man up and be the stronger person. Rebekka’s worst fear in life are mice! (what do mice have to do with this?) Did I not mention the intruder was more mouse then man? I did say he was little in the beginning of this article. Anyway,
For the next 72 hours I was Rebekka’s support system. The very first thing I did was call our lovely landlord David. He informed me that it was out of his hands. Apparently in New York every species is protected by law. Even rats! It was up to us to buy either wooden mouse snaps or the not-so-nice glue mouse traps. We didn’t want blood on our hands and come on… let’s be real… Imagine getting lured into a situation with a nice piece of cheesecake and then Whack! You get knocked in the head with a pan. Or even worse, who wants their face permanently glued to a wooden board. That’s not very nice and for those that don’t think it’s a big deal, have you ever heard of karma?
We decided to borrow the neighbors cats and let nature take it’s course. There’s nothing wrong with this sport. They don’t call it Cat chasing mouse for nothing! So Etch and Elliot prowled and patrolled high and low. Day and night. We dined in and we dined out.
If we did use any dishes, I was the designated dishwasher. Rebekka stroked my ego with great praise. “Thank you so much”., “You really are my best friend”.
After a shocking realization that the rats were camping out inside the stove late at night we knew that these rats were smart and they were fast. There was us and then there was them. The rats. They not only wanted our crumbs, but they wanted to get the best of us. Under our cabinets and under our skin. The rats were winning! Sleeping with one eye open led to many restless nights. We were prisoners in our own apartment. Rebekka slept with one cat in her room and one cat outside her room to roam freely in hopes that he would get lucky. One morning we woke to Etch licking his lips. The corners of his mouth were turned up and what appeared to look like a grin. He must have had a juicy and plump mouse for breakfast or at least that’s what we would like to believe. Satisfaction indeed.
The cats went back. Rebekka moved to Paris for the Fall. It is now one year later and she is back. As a matter-of-fact, she is living on the second floor of my building. Life changes. Good friends come in and out of your life. Life is scary. We are paranoid of lots of things. Losing your job could be your rat. A horrible breakup could be your rat. But it’s great to know that you have a best friend to pick up the pieces when you fall apart. Scratch that… Pick up the crumbs.
Is he a Lion or a Lamb?
Your boyfriend has been working a lot lately? He promises to spend some quality time with you. Last minute his friend invites him to see Ahmad Jamal. Front row seats. He knows that you adore Jazz and that you’ve been dying to see a proper performance.
(a) He tells his friend he can’t go. The two of you stay in. Invite Ben and Jerry and watch Bridget Jones Diary 1 and 2. He knows it’s your favorite movie. He will just wait to see Ahmad Jamal with you.
(b) He apologizes and promises to take you to dinner next week. Goes with his friend to: dinner, drinks, concert, drinks and the ultimate excuse he was starving and had to get a midnight snack. He had the best night ever and tries to tell you all about it at 5am via text.
So you’ve finally met the boy of your dreams.
(a) You met him at a coffee shop. The shop is full, so he asks if he could sit with you. Not only is he a total cutie, but you really enjoy talking to him. You both agree to go out on a date. You exchange numbers, he calls, you go on a date. You’ve been dating ever since.
(b) You’re having a drink with your girlfriends when you spot the hottest guy at the bar. He slowly walks up to you. Cool and confident. Never letting you out of his sight. You melt with the very first thing that comes out of his mouth. Is it your cocktail or this boy that has lifted your mood so quickly? You have a major connection. The two of you go home together. You’ve been sleeping together ever since.
If you answered (a) to both questions, you are dating a lamb indeed. They only eat grass and wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less break a girl’s heart.
If you answered (b) to both questions, you are dating a lion. Beware of the lion. You don’t have to sleep with one eye open, but know that he is always on the prowl.
If you answered (a) and (b) your main squeeze could be both? Just know that you a are dating a lion with a lamb suit. There are no has-been lions. That’s a myth. You maybe dating a lion that slips into his lamb suit right before he creeps into your arms. Either he is a lamb or a lion. Black or white girls. Never grey.
You may be attracted to lions aka bad boys and find lambs baaaaa boring. Or you may want a cute and one-of-a-kind lamb, but it’s important to know who your significant other is. Is he a lion or lamb?
Wool keeps you warm at night. A lamb will choose staying in with you versus being out with his single boyfriends. Lambs do call. A lion on the other hand is a visual and social beast.You are not the only girl on his list of prey. He’s the type of guy that spots you before you spot him. It was his choice to talk to you. He’s hard to tame and walks on his toes. He can be sneaky and a defender of pride. He is a real challenge.
The ideal perfect man is more lamb then lion. If he falls in love with you he can keep his lion tendencies under control. No lamb or lion is perfect.
Unusual and shocking fact: The male cat’s penis has spines which point backwards. Upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the females vagina, which may cause ovulation. Now that is some serious play.
Skeletons in The Medicine Cabinet
There’s always been a certain mystique about medicine cabinets. Why is this? When moving into a new place, stocking and organizing our medicine cabinet is the first thing we do. In fact, arranging things according to our neurotic standards is one of the hallmarks of a religious routine in which we bring our skeletons out first thing when we wake up and stuff them back in before we go to bed. A medicine cabinet is a very personal thing. Consider yourself extremely trust worthy indeed if your new lover allows your very foreign toothbrush inside his or her medicine cabinet. For in this, he or she is letting you inside a circle of trust. Metaphorically speaking, he’s actually saying: ‘Hey, I like you. No, you don’t understand! I really like you!’ Importantly, a medicine cabinet can give you the inside scoop on your new lover. Wait!.. I’m not telling you to peer inside the medicine cabinet, that would indeed be breaking and entering. But, surely you can’t help asking yourself, what sort of skeletons lie behind that glass mirror door? Does the secret to his soft feet live there? I like to think of my medicine cabinet as a department store with four glorious floors.
Hot Tottie
The Hot Tottie Recipe It’s that time of the year Hottie Totties! The cold and flu is going around. I have it and have been sniffling all week. So make sure you wear warm stockings, lots of heavy scarfs, and don’t kiss boys on the first date! But in the event that you get it or have it already I have a little recipe straight from my Grandmum’s kitchen! I’m sure you’ve heard of it? It’s a Hot Tottie, a Scottish remedy for the cold and a great excuse to get silly drunk while on the flu.
Recipe: Take one lump of sugar, or 2-3 teaspoons of honey; dissolve it in a little hot water tea cup; add a piece of cinnamon, squeeze 1/2 lemon, four cloves, fresh ginger, and an ounce of whiskey; (you can add more whiskey if you’d like, I put a half cup last night and slept like a baby) then fill the rest of your cup with boling water. (You can use molasses instead of honey or sugar, rum or brandy can substitute for whiskey, and allspice and nutmeg are other possible flavors to put in the mix. Feel better drunkies.
Thinking Inside and Outside the Box
Is Valentine’s day overrated? Silly? A heart made out of cheese? Every year I’m shocked with the negative feedback I receive. One person told me “We don’t believe in Valentines.” while another said, “You should do nice things year round. Not just on Valentine’s day.”
In contrast to the above-mentioned nay-sayers with blackened hearts of stone, If someone does something out of the ordinary and memorable for you on Valentine’s, I promise, you will become a hardened fan of Valentine’s Day. “Well like what?” I always hear, “He doesn’t care about Valentine’s Day”,or my favorite, “My wife/girlfriend is practical.” Keep feeding yourself excuses. The truth is, who doesn’t like surprises? Or planned surprises. Or indulgences. Especially those involving spas, romantic spend the nights, shopping, massage oil, panties, and chocolate.
Let’s talk about DO’s and DONT’S for Valentine’s…
DON’T buy stuffed animals…
DON’T buy single roses…
DON’T YOU DARE buy roses in cheap vases with baby breath and faux stiff ribbon…
DON’T buy your chocolate from Russell Stover, Godiva, Lindt, or See’s Candies. Chocolate should be both excessively rich in quality and taste. (Russel Stover and See’s Candies are purchased for people we don’t like and for whom we are wrongfully and willfully forced to buy something). Same goes for Bath and Body Works. It’s like, ‘Wow a red heart shaped box’. How utterly predictable. Maybe if I rub this lavender lotion on my temples I will relax and forget all about my pathetic gift.
Indeed, if you are comfortable buying your partner his or her gift from the vendor on the side of the street, ie: red roses and an excessively-giant sized teddy bear, then maybe you should re-evaluate your romantic situation.
On the other hand, DO buy Vosges Haut Chocolate. Which is super-uber tasty and stylish. This shows your partner that you took the time to look for good chocolate. This extravagance will earn you 1000 brownie points.
What we’d want: The Groove Collection from Vosges Chocolate. A study of the African-American influence on America’s musical history through chocolate, story and song, The Groove Collection is a chocolate + music experience. The featured artists range from Otis Redding to Grandmaster Flash.
DO buy your guy a good bottle of Fragrance.
What we’d get: Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. Smells like: creamy tonka bean, tobacco flower, vanilla and cocoa.
DO buy him a subscription to his favorite magazine…
What we’d get: Esquire Magazine a men’s lifestyle magazine that’s packed with fashion advice, political commentary and smart editorial. Details Magazine A daring, distinctive magazine for men who are passionate about adventure, style, music, fashion, sports, politics, humor and pop culture. Each issue will satisfy all his passions. GQ Magazine The premier men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine. Nylon Guys magazine showcases everything from the latest gadgets to films and music through a discerning lens and streetwise composition.
DO buy him a stylish case for his mobile…
What we’d get: Jack Spade Our favorite is the “flannel plaid”
DO buy your girlfriend lingerie.. Every girl likes pretty underwear. If you are uncomfortable with sizing DO buy her a slip or sexy robe…
What we’d want: Anything from Agent Provocateur or Kiki De Montparnasse. Remember it’s the “little things you do” or should we say ” little things you buy.”
DON’T GO TO places are Frederick’s of Hollywood. (Frederick’s is Russell Stover’s shabby sister. A cheap whore with bad taste. Especially when it comes to her chocolate). I’m afraid Victoria is related to Frederick’s and Russell. Everybody knows her secret!
Afraid to approach your home appliances? Order take out from his or her favorite restaurant. Pop a bottle of champagne under the stars and talk about how great you both are. Single? Do something nice for a friend or your mom. It’s always a good thing to put a smile on the face of those you love. I’m a sucker for candles.
What we’d get: Diptyque Paris. Our favorite: Rosa Mundi and Tubereuse
Ladies and gents, a good way to avoid feeling uncomfortable is to join in and have fun. This holiday is meant to be romantically uplifting and most importantly, to give us all an excuse to shop. Why not celebrate? If you don’t, the only thing left to do is to sit back and watch everyone else have fun waiting to be asked what you’re doing for Valentine’s day. Oh wait, let me answer that for you: “BARK!BARK!” I’m terribly sorry, bitter party of one, all of our tables are full. If you’d like you may sit at the bar and enjoy tonight’s specialty cocktail, the Debbie Downer martini.”
The Color Red
The Color Red
Red also means “Beautiful” in Russian..
Seeing the color red can make your heart beat faster…
There are at least 23 different shades of red crayons…
The color red doesn’t really make bulls angry, they’re color blind..
The word “ruby” comes from the Latin word rubens, meaning “Red”
The red stripes on the United States flag stands for courage…
As few as 2 percent of people in the United States have red hair..
Chinese brides traditionally wear red wedding dresses for good luck..
Red symbolizes speed, sexuality, and style it’s the color of love and romance. It can often give conflicting messages.. It’s STOP when used on a street light, but GO when worn as lipstick
Fashion experts always recommend at least a splash of red when dressing for a job interview or any other important meeting.
Red symbolizes power.
Red cars are popular targets for thieves.
In home design, red is rarely used as base color but often as highlights or accents. Red may cause restlessness and insomnia if used in a bedroom, but it is considered appropriate for exercise and play rooms.
When the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia they used a red flag as their emblem and ever since red has been considered the color of communism.
In the Ebers Papyrus, said to be the oldest complete book in existence 1550 B.C. the color red was used for chapter headings, names of diseases, and weights and drug dosages. The Egyptians considered themselves the “Red” race and applied red dye for emphasis.
In India red is the symbol of the soldier. For the Hopi it represents the direction south.
In England there was a law that prevented the color red to be worn by just anyone. The color gave out information about the status of the man or woman wearing it. This was not just dictated by the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing. The meaning of colors during the Elizabethan era represented many aspects of their life - the social, religious, biblical and Christian symbolism was reflected in the color of their clothes.
People who were allowed to wear the color red during the Elizabethan era, as decreed by the English Sumptuary Laws, were lower and upper class.
What’s That Old Saying?
An apple a day.. keep it away? No.. A spoon full of sugar makes the?? A spoon full of sugar makes the veggies go down? No!! It’s..
..You must eat your vegetables! You must eat your vegtables! Yes, yes we’ve heard this more than once, usually in the form of loving maternal dogma. Growing up in my house was achingly fat-free; our kitchen an arid wasteland empty of all sugar and processed foods. My sisters and I had greasy and plump dreams about fast food. Nightly I lived out my favorite fantasy as I finally reached those glorious golden arches! Walking up to the counter at McDonalds, I would taste the anticipation as I drank in the menu. So many salty options! So much gratifying grease! How my stomach quivered with a quixotic feeling of cholesterol-filled fullness!
I could count the number of times we ate fast food on both my hands. My mother liked to torture us with innocent trips to McDonalds during which she ordered a coffee for herself and absolutely nothing for us! She would dryly remark that she needed the coffee to deal with us. We were also entirely oblivious to the existence of easy and cheap staples like top-ramen. I was deeply envious of the kids who could enjoy it and truly thought it was an exotic noodle! My mother’s ideology dictated only wise and healthful choices for us day after day. We weren’t lucky enough to wake up to colorful charms each morning. That giant smile of Mr. Kool-aid was a broad, superior smirk to us.
At school, I envied the kids their wonderful processed treats in their colourful lunch boxes; my lunch came in an easily recycled, disposable brown paper bag and contained a turkey sandwich, a bag of carrots and a Capri sun. This was it. Chow Groundhog Day year in, year out. To this day, I hate cold cut sandwiches. I would rather eat my mattress than a cold cut turkey sandwich (actually, in my opinion, turkey resembles slabs of flabby human flesh). I often had guilty fantasies of ditching my lunch but knowing I would go hungry made me cautious. My Hello Kitty erasers smelled amazing but even as an alternative to my lunch, I knew that my mother would state that they were simply empty calories.
At home my sister and I made a number of futile attempts to undermine our indoctrination. Our scheme to continually hide packets of fiberous and hearty oatmeal under the sofa was eventually foiled when we had visitors to stay who moved the sofa one night to make it up as bed. We were revealed on another occasion when our mother became wise to some crafty subterfuge. Her protein milkshakes in which she would crack an egg yolk and blend in milk, were meant to foster the energy to get straight A’s. Since I hated milk and the idea of drinking egg yolks, it didn’t seem so terrible to pour it all down the drain as soon as her back was turned – until she found us at it. This was a dmi ttedly lower than the oatmeal scheme. We knew not to ever cross my mother after that!
Well, one has to love their mother. She meant well but I curse her for my current irrepressible cravings. Hamburgers will always be an illicit choice for me but I continue to eat and eat them. These days there is simply no limit to what I will put in my mouth (I’m talking food here). I rationalise that I’m a big girl and if I want a salty burger, I will have a salty burger. Driving like a rebel in the night, the gates of heaven are the McDonald’s drive through. Unfortunately, driving through them whilst maintaining a svelte silhouette is not possible. Still, what better way is there to end a stressful night? Or dull a sharp breakup? When I take a big bite -I don’t think I’ve ever had a small bite - anyway, when I take a bite of a burger, I taste everything at once. Bread,meat, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions. When you think about it, you don’t have to open up your burger to notice they’ve skimped on your favorite ingredient. You simply take a bite and say ‘MF they forgot the onions’.
The truth about CATS and dogs
The truth about cats and dogs Growing up we learned about the birds and the bees. My mother always told me to do something with my life. She said a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. She explained to me that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Or to be totally clear, men and women are like cats and dogs. Contrary to my much-used catch phrase, ‘he’s such a dog’, she says, men are in fact the cats. A cat is often aloof and independent. The only thing a cat will demand is that you feed it. A cat does not want to snuggle with you unless it wants to. If you want to hold it, it will run under the bed at times. A dog on the other hand is loyal and highly dependent. It likes to play, it wants to snuggle, it needs to take walks with you several times a day. Older generations of women could indeed be said to be more like a dog than a cat in their behaviours. They were highly dependent, as well as dependable. A woman did not go to work. She stayed at home to raise her pups, playing with them, snuggling with them, taking them for long walks. Men on the other hand, behaved like cats. Independent and with free-reign, coming home for food. The minute a woman would want to snuggle or to talk to them, men, like cats, would hide under the bed.
Today’s woman, dear readers, is much more feline. We work. We don’t cook unless it has become a glamourous hobby intended to impress and entertain glamourous friends. Like a cat we demand our food and like a cat, we are cool and aloof as we flash our plastic at the waiter knowing we could eat out every night of the week if we wanted. Meow indeed. Because, when you really think about it, who needs a man when you own a Birken? You can hold it when you want to and set it down when you don’t want to. It will bring you joy without making you cry. It’s simply sound logic. But, here’s the thing… A Berkin won’t kiss you under the Christmas tree (no matter how much you kiss it for being exactly the right shade to match your new Christian Loubitons). A Berkin can’t go out in the middle of the night to buy you tissues and NyQuil. It can’t fix your car, re-charge your battery or change a tire. At some point ladies, do we have to give up our extreme cat-like manners? Moreover, is there life after trading in your cat-like way? Can we be a little of both? A little cat, a little dog? Woof meow meow woof? Meoof?? I hope so. And hope never goes out of fashion, ladies. Whatever the real combination, a healthy balance is what we should be aiming for. Loyal and humble as a hound; cool and frisky as a feline, cruising the alleys of life with a sassy tail in the air.
