Lay Down Athena

Woman 6/2/09

Warmer weather brings out the most interesting of styles. Funky, flirty, quirky, colorful, boring and even the skin-baring dressers are let loose from their winter shackles. Although this woman was the first for this early summer season – athletic gear as style. No, she was not going to the gym or on her way back from the gym. She was clearly dressed in athletic gear that communicated her style sensibility.

Let’s start with the basics. Sneakers. White canvas by Adidas with white laces and a black sole. Too clean and pristine to be workout sneakers. And she matched them with your basic white athletic ankle socks.

She was wearing a pair of basketball shorts. The black mesh knee-length ones that are now part of everyday ballin’ gear. The logo said Eastpak.

The last bit of her athletic garb? A hoodie. This white sleeveless hoodie with white zippers and drawstrings. She had it over her head which barely concealed her head-wrap. Now, the head-wrap is sometimes labeled as a doo-rag, but this was clearly more stylish than functional. It was indeed a head-wrap by every definition. The best part? The head-wrap was a camouflage print. That’s right, a camo print head-wrap. Needless to say, no hair was visible underneath all that fabric.

Another fashion statement besides the camo head-wrap? The printed tee. She had on this black v-neck tee that had a tan print of an eagle. Not a picture but more an eagle illustration done with an almost spray paint graffiti-like stencil treatment. In another medium, it could be hanging on the wall of Ted Nugent’s basement man-cave. This eagle stretched from the front of the tee all the way around to the back, and touching on the left sleeve slightly.

The dead giveaway that she was dressing to impress? Her jewelry. She was wearing this small gold crucifix hanging on a simple gold chain, though the crucifix did look like it had a little more ornate-ness to it than easily observed from afar. The ear lobes had two matching gold square studs. Her right wrist had a simple gold bracelet. Yes, gold was the theme of the day.

Then why was she wearing this silver ring on her left hand? It was on her index finger – a thick band with some sort of pattern etched in and a red ruby sitting in the middle.

The most curious thing? She was carrying this small black plastic bag that you get at any corner deli or bodega. Not quite sure what that held inside.

Hipster English Country Squire

Man 11/29/08

I was with a friend, so it wasn’t really convenient for me to use my notepad. But my friend got to see first-hand the reason why I wanted to start this blog.

Based on my best recollection.

It was two of them. They came into the subway car together and sat perpendicular to each other. Both of them had their own reading material.

The best I could describe this man was hipster English country squire. That was his style. A black and white herringbone driving cap. A tan tweed blazer, under which was a chambray jacket, and a green wool sweater, and an untucked tattersall button-down shirt. Basic tan corduroy pants, and the piece-de-resistance: white socks with Adidas sneakers – also tan. Exactly as I named him. A hipster English Country Squire spotted in Brooklyn, riding the subway.

He was blond, and physically that was all I remember. His look just over-powered and overwhelmed him. But, hey, it a sight that even my friend will remember for a long time.

The best part? The seat next to the squire opened up and his friend moved over. And from the looks of it, they seemed to be a couple and not just friends. That was swiftly confirmed when the friend moved closer, and started reading from his book, How to Parent Your 4 Year Old Child. He was reading the book to the squire but it was almost like a very romantic bedtime story being acted out for the entire train to see. Perhaps it was the leaning into each other’s bodies, or the holding of the book precisely between both their laps.

The Reader? He was in an oversized winter wool jacket and skin-tight black pants, with a wool beanie.