"a fashion accessory for idiots"

A friend of mine recently referred to the iPhone 7 as being "a fashion accessory for idiots".

I don't think he is wrong either. Apple is basically the equivalent of the worst sweatshop clothing manufacturer you can think of. They use cheap labour in South Korea and other Asian countries to make the phones, use technology from Samsung, add their own proprietary charging ports and make it deliberately annoying for iPhone users to charge their phone.

The new iPhone 7 takes it one step further. Now the headphones also uses the charging port as the plug. They got rid of the normal audio jack completely.

Which means you have three choices:

Option 1: Wear the ugly and battery powered "AirPods", shown below:

Option 2: Use an adapter just so you can use a normal audio jack, shown below.

Complete with moron talking about how great it is.

Option 3: Use the headphones that come with the iPhone 7. Which are ugly. So ugly I am not even going to show them here.

As fashion accessories go, Apple seems to be shooting themselves in the proverbial iFoot, by deliberately making their stuff unfashionable.

Take this idiot below with an Apple iPhone 7 Plus strapped to his face. He might look cute with his well-trimmed beard, but the average person doesn't look like that when they have something like that strapped to their face. Instead they look like a complete idiot.

Complete Idiot with iPhone 7 strapped to face.

This is the silly thing too. Since the iPod came out, Apple's primary goal has been to promote their products as being "hip and fashionable" to the younger generation. But the people in charge of the company have started to become old and out of touch with what is fashionable. They think the AirPods wireless headphones shown further above are worth $219 CDN, despite the fact that they are ugly and only store a 5 hour charge. That isn't fashionable or convenient. That is ugly and inconvenient.

Which brings me to another thing my friend stated, that technology is all about more convenience. People buy toasters and microwaves because they are convenient and easy to use. Same reason why they buy washing machine, automobiles, etc. They have a purpose that makes their life more convenient.

In the world of fashion we also have things that are convenient...

#1. High Heels - a convenient way of making yourself look taller in a world which is prejudiced against short people. (Don't pretend it isn't true. Height-ism is a real thing.)

#2. Black Dress - a convenient way of making yourself look both thinner and sophisticated with very little work involved.

#3. Handbags - a convenient way to carry your stuff around, which frankly is a sign we have too much stuff. I personally prefer backpacks, but hey, personal preference.

Etc

But the iPhone 7 is supposed to do a bunch of different things, in theory, which are supposed to make your life more convenient - but is not.

Getting rid of the standard audio jacks is not convenient. It is annoying.

Forcing people to buy AirPods for $219 is not convenient. It is highway robbery.

Trying to get people to try virtual reality headsets is not about more convenience, it is about not looking like an idiot. It would be easier to promote Victorian wigs as a fashion accessory than to try to convince people to wear their iPhone on their face and look like a complete idiot.

Seriously, we should totally bring Victorian wigs back.

Having to powder your Victorian wig wouldn't be very convenient I admit, but it is at least fashionable. It also makes a person look taller, so if combined with high heels...

Oh and for fun check out these High Heels: The Bullet. Perfect for the femme fatale look.

Raccoon Fur Collar in China

Okay so I found this photo randomly.

And I was like wow. Raccoon fur. That is a bit like wearing rat fur or squirrel fur. Or any other kind of rodent.

So apparently wearing rodent fur is a thing in Asia. I admit, it looks good, but I think it is rather strange to be wearing rodent fur.

Meanwhile in Canada we are obsessed with removing raccoons humanely and setting them free in the wild.

Especially when you consider how adorable and cute raccoons are. Definitely not something to be wearing.

Super Long Legs - Anastasia Strashevskaya

On the right is a photo of a Russian fashion model named Anastasia Strashevskaya.

Anastasia Strashevskaya reportedly has some of the longest legs on a female model in the world. 42 inches.

Proportionally speaking. She is 5'10" tall (70 inches) but her legs are 42 inches of her 70 inches height. That means 60% of height is in her legs.

There are other fashion models around the world with really long legs - including one from Houston Texas who stands 6'5" tall (77 inches) and was once told she was "too tall to be a model". Her legs measure 51 inches.

So the model from Texas is taller and has longer legs, and has proportionally longer legs too. 66.2%.

But whatever. This isn't a contest to see who the biggest freak of nature is. (Or is it?)

Anastasia Strashevskaya does have some pretty long legs and they do seem to be helping her modelling career.

The model from Texas, not so much.

There are similar models from Britain, France, Brazil and other countries with legs ranging from 42 to 49 inches long, all with varying heights and different proportions. Clearly some of these models were drinking lots of milk as they were growing.

More calcium = longer, thicker bones. Huzzah. Milk is also a great source of protein. Learn more about Why Calcium Rocks!

How to Dress like a Manly Man

By Monique Bellamont - March 2016.

Ack!

It is that word many "manly men" shy away from - metrosexual.

Which we women find silly because it reveals that many men are so homophobic that they refuse to deal with anything that is remotely "gay".

As such men's high fashion has suffered over the decades to the point that men really can only wear suits and uniforms. Anything too risque and they feel they are being emasculated

However done right, men's high fashion doesn't have to look metrosexual.

What it should look like however is:

Rugged.
Cool.
Capable.

And a touch of James Bond doesn't hurt.

As such high end clothing for men really needs to flatter a man - building a bridge between "uniform / suit" and "rugged casual wear".

Check out the image below to see what I mean. The men in the photo below, all wearing clothes from Toronto-based company Kish Wear (see http://www.kishwear.com/), look rugged yet sophisticated. And this is what men want when it comes to high fashion. They want to look professional, yes, but they also want to look like they could doff a cowboy hat and ride off into the sunset at the same time looking heroic while they do it.

 Now as a single woman who dates a lot I have to imagine waiting in a coffee shop for the guy I met off POF to show up.

And then he shows up wearing a black bow tie, wearing a white shirt, suspenders, a black jacket with fur collar (I am describing the photo on the right here) then I am going to be instantly impressed and have the following first impressions.

#1. This man is intelligent. He is smartly dressed.

#2. This man knows how to dress properly and takes care of himself. He probably bathes daily, does his laundry regularly, and might even wear cologne on special occasions.

#3. This man probably knows how to treat a lady. If he treats himself well, then he probably treats others well too.

#4. This man has a job / career. He wouldn't be able to afford this quality of clothes if he is still living in his parents' basement.

#5. He looks like Viggo Mortensen. Part of that is just the hair and beard, but the clothes completes the package.

#6. Retro. And anything retro is cool. So that is automatically a bonus.

Thus, first impressions, I would be very happy to meet a man dressed like that. Whether his personality matches mine, that is another topic, but the first impressions means that I will be taking this man seriously and he will be having my undivided attention while I sip my latte and contemplate a second date.

Below are some photos from Kish Wear's 2014 Winter Collection available at http://kishwear.com/lookbook/winter-2014

L’Agent by Agent Provocateur Fall/Winter 2014

This is actually from LAST year, 2014, and it is currently December 2015... However not so old that it doesn't matter. Why? Because lingerie fashions really don't change much from year to year.

Agent Provocateur's stylish ways don't change much from year to year either. They're pretty awesome every year.

Plus I like the whole old school exercises thing they did, juxtaposing lingerie with exercise equipment was quite smart in my opinion.

Retro Swimwear for Women

Looking for ideas for retro swimwear or bikinis for women? Look below and check out some interesting ideas.

The ideas below are a mix of styles from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s - with a dash of modern versions of the classics thrown into the mix.

Enjoy!