March 2011
3 posts
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Closing Remarks
When I first created this blog I intentionally named it vivisection of style. I didn’t want to use the word dissection because to do so would indicate exactly what I was doing; killing style in order to try to study its components. I hoped to avoid it by naming it something else but in the process ended up killing it anyway. I understand a lot better now, what I feel is style is style. Notice I...
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“What’s cooler than being cool?”
– Andre 3000
December 2010
2 posts
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“People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have...”
– Ralph Lauren (via bowtiedandstarryeyed)
November 2010
12 posts
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Grooming
Up to this point I have mostly focused on the aspects of style that involve clothing however my participation in Movember has prompted some thoughts on facial hair.
At the beginning of this month I shaved off my beard that I had been sporting for over a year. I had grown accustomed to having a beard and from the reactions I got after shaving it seemed so had everyone else. Lots of comments came...
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soft-atlas:
“Style” by Charles Bukowski
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Thrift
Already late for work I was turning my room inside out looking for my sunglasses. Lifting up a pile of clothes at the end of my bed I saw them. My glasses lay there on the floor a tangled mess with an arm broken off.
Knowing that not having sunglasses for a nine-hour shift outside was not an option I looked for the quick fix. This came in the form of duct tape I had borrowed from a roommate....
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“When you mend the patches of my clothing
You know every thread goes through my...”
– The Tallest Man on Earth
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“There are people who do not wish to feel self conscious because of their clothes...”
– Margaret Howell
October 2010
8 posts
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Street Etiquette
I don’t know how I found out about Street Etiquette, the duo of Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs, but I’ve been following their progress for about a year now. When I first started reading their blog I would check it so often but I was often disappointed that it hadn’t been updated. Then I came to the realization that I was going back and taking a look at posts I had missed and when they did post I...
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Courage
A couple weeks ago I visited my girlfriend Lydia at her university, an anonymous Canadian institute that would never be mistaken for a sartorially inspired hot bed. I was set to meet her at the coffee shop and was early so I sat outside to wait. While sitting I watched the students walking back and forth. All the girls seemed to be in a sort of unofficial uniform of black yoga pants, Uggs, and...
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“Dressed smart like a London Bloke.
Before he speak his suit bespoke.”
– Kanye West
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The Art of DE - By A. Sauvage
September 2010
6 posts
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Diet
PART II
Speaking with my brother on the phone about Eric Wilson’s article “Shoppers on a ‘Diet’ Tame the Urge to Buy”, he laughed and admitted that he had, at one point, decided he didn’t like stripes and subsequently eliminated them from his wardrobe. He made an exception for a shirt with very thin stripes. Ironically enough, that shirt became his favourite thing to wear; he wore it so often...
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Diet
PART I
“Shoppers on a ‘Diet’ Tame the Urge to Buy” by Eric Wilson was an article in the New York Times this summer about reducing your wardrobe to six items for a month (not including socks, underwear or accessories).
As I was reading this article I was immediately reminded of a scene in David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Jeff Goldblum’s character, a mad scientist on the fringes of society, is confronted...
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The Design Principles of Dieter Rams
Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.
July 2010
8 posts
1 tag
Etymology
The original name of this blog was The Anatomy of Style but I did a quick Google search and found out that the name had already been claimed. I switched to The Anatomization of Style but that was a mouthful. So as a final change I’ve decided to name this blog Vivisection of Style.
I am currently a university student studying health so having a blog about men’s style may seem like a weird...
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“Actors have an unusual perspective on clothing. You’ve really got to know...”
– Kyle MacLachlan
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“Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day,...”
– Special Agent Dale Cooper
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Façades
Recently I’ve been thinking about how there is often a disconnect between what a piece of clothing is and what it is presented as being.
These days blue jeans are often pre-distressed and covered in any combination of feathered wear marks around the knees and crotch, holes in the fabric, or frayed edges. These touches are in fact all illusions and are added to give the appearance that the jeans...
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June 2010
4 posts
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Colour
While at my local library the other day I happened upon the book Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion byAlan Flusser, I’ve only read the first few chapters and already it’s given me a lot to think about. The second chapter is dedicated to discussing how you should consider your own complexion while dressing. After reading his prescriptions for different combinations of hair...
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Inheritance
Do you inherit your parent’s style? If you were to ask me this five years ago I would have laughed and said not a chance. However, this past week gave me reason to second-guess that assumption.
After getting dressed for a job interview last week and looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing dark grey pants with a navy blazer, white dress shirt, and a striped tie. I felt confident and ready....
Introduction
The goal of this blog is to provide a complementary experience to my other blog hitthehay. If you aren’t aware, hitthehay is purely a clothing blog containing minimal commentary and occasional outfits, and it may even be consider a little bit cold. This blog will contrast that aesthetic with more personal and in-depth discussion of the ideas of style and fashion.
I hope you find it thought...