Napapijri

“It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same shit over there that we got here, but it's just...it's just, there it's a little different.”

We’ll ain’t that true.

The US has people walking around in LL Bean and Eddie Bauer windbreakers and the Czech Republic has people walking around in Napapijri. They have windbreakers, they’re just a little different.

If I were a google history blogger I’d tell you all about Napapijri. I did (curiosity killed the blogger and any sort of written personality) and it’s owned by VF. Boorrinnggg! It also is a misspelled version of Finnish for the artic circle [the company is Italian]. I don’t know the slappies* that run this company, but if you look at the entire line it’ll make you puke. Italians like mall-wear too. Shirts with large distressed Norwegian flags and - oh gawd, I can’t go on.

Despite crappy shirts and bad sweaters, Napapijri windbreakers are iconic. The classic look involves dirty khakis, Keen hiking boots, and a grease-stained Napapijri – food shield indeed (self-referencing means that I'm washed up).

I saw a man wearing one in Berlin. He was either a dirty guy or homeless. I guess Europe isn't that different after all.

*Slappy is slang for slap-dick

Summer Scarves

Not too long ago, Sam and I had a conversation over IM. The following occurred.

Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:31AM:
Wat do you think of summer scafs
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:31AM:
You mean scarves?
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:31AM:
yes and can I write about ehm on gtbt?
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:32AM:
I’m not terribly confortable with that. I can’t say I’m a fan.
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:32AM:
Wat why
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:32AM:
I fail to see the purpose of a scarf. It’s already hot out.
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:32AM:
Wat don’t you think that asw is a great blog he weasrs them all th eimte?
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:33AM:
He’s an old man. He burns easily. He needs the protection. And for some reason I never see an old person sweating profusely. I can barely wear a long sleeve shirt without sweating through it when it gets over 80. Why would I wear a scarf?
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:33AM:
what I don’t understand don’t you always athat style is always subjective
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:33AM:
john
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:33AM:
Answer me
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:34AM:
I’ve sorta’ changed my stance on that even though I’ve never outright declared that style is subjective.
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:34AM:
I mean society shares communal rules that change as time progresses. So I think progressive objectivism is more appropriate to how I see things. That is, thinking style is subjective allows for objective rules to change. It’s kinda’ like Hegel’s intro to “Philosophy of History”.
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:34AM:
wat is this crap I don’t care about that
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:34AM:
wat about aht parka dn bond editorial didn’t you think that was good with its sumer scarf I thought is really cool
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:36AM:
I do usually like Park & Bond but I was pretty indifferent to that. Most guys I know are usually just too ‘warm’ of people to pull something like that off. I mean, we sweat and there’s little that’s gonna’ change that. Why wear a sweat rag?
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:36AM:
Whats a sweat rag is it a new menswear trend that I don’t know about
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:37AM:
No, I was talking about how the scarf would just become a sweat rag.
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:37AM:
if I do research will you let me write abou the history o summer scarfs
John Lugg 4/13/12 – 1:38AM:
Stop copying other blogs. I’m kind of tired of it.
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:38AM:
wat im not copying him im allowed to use google too
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:38AM:
i want to write about history and modern garments and I want to do themed weeks like he does I figure he has not copywrited themed weeks I can do that and I can use google too
Sam Franklin 4/13/12 – 1:40AM:
Come back to the states I don’t have have anyone to drive me to mcdonalds

Image from P&B&J

Hard Places

The man left the room. The cold, sharp, and defined walls kept him there for sometime. He was free to exercise his developed thoughts into action.

The guard took the items out of the box:
an alligator leather belt – of questionable authenticity –
a linen shirt
a pair of trousers of a fine fabric but awkward cut
a sport coat that was acceptable 7 years ago
a pair of cap-toes that were handsomer than anything the guard had owned his entire life
a wallet
no socks; socks are for suckers

The man picked up his items. He put them on his body in a place that you and I will never know unless one of us commits a crime that leads to incarceration. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, as like a movie, the man will later arrive into the soft, misty sun; into individuality.

The man did just so. He had lots of time to think. Hardness and definition allows one to apply those qualities to those ideas that are misty and unclear in a place where n is infinite. It had been sometime since he had been thrown away from assaulting ‘a man in flip-flops’. The man was just trying to put ‘a man in flip-flops’ in some penny loafers.

In the cold and hard place the man had found the key word: ‘just’. Remove ‘just’ and you got reality. Forcibly encroaching upon other’s freedom was not the answer.

The man was mellow. He knew. The truth. Hardness had brought definition.

People ought to be free. He was free to purchase expensive cufflinks. ‘A man in flip-flops’ was free to flip-flop.

Truth. A set that contained…

Wait a minute. That can’t be right.

The taxi pulled up. Taxi? That can’t be right.

The man - bothered - fiddled with his belt. Wait a minute...