Why Rainy Days Are Good for Your Mind and Body

1. It forces you to stay home and therefore catch up on your much-needed sleep. All that excessive dreaming is bound to tell you something about yourself, right? So you get rest and reach into your subconscious.

Music Note Cufflinks

2. You get to listen to music you normally wouldn’t listen to in public.

3. Watch bad TV, the kind you never had time for during the week–or month for that matter.

Aymara Rain Drop Mirage Butterfly Cufflinks

4. Walk your dog in the rain. And we your actual dog in the rain, no funny business. Gives both of you a pseudo-bath to refresh the mind and body. If it’s warm don’t bother to wear a rain coat or extra layers, just change when you come inside.

Golden Dog Cufflinks

5. Finish Chapter Three of THAT novel.

6. You get to listen to THIS song:

7. Rain pattering and pounding on the pavement/window/tin roof does something to our psyche–we become lost in thought, nostalgic, and peaceful. Embrace it for a night or two.Water, of any kind, unless it’s a tsunami, is always good.

8. Actually stay home to cook and clean. It’s not so bad if you have nowhere to go afterwards and can spend valuable time scrubbing the black marks off the kitchen floor or dust the window blinds (for once). Peek out in the rain every once in a while, for a tranquil, “I’m doing something good for my house” kind of gaze.

(Did you notice there are actually 8 reasons? It’s not that we can’t count, we just wanted you to have a bonus reason to love that rain.)

 

Enough with the baggy shorts already! This season is all about trim, slim swimming trucks. You don’t want them too tight (no need to see a bulge or lack thereof), but they shouldn’t be down to your knees either. On the runway this season, we’ve seen some really cool looks from DSquared2 & Michael Bastian (of course), as featured on GQ in their spring trend section.

DSquared2 Swimming Trunks for Spring 2012

The spring season always comes with its up and downs–in weather that is. One day it’s 75 and the next it’s 59. Be prepared with an all-weather, light-weight Parka, which happens to be one of the hottest trends right now. Check out this JCrew version:

JCrew Parka for Spring 2012

Get these looks while you can. Pair this green parka with Aymara’s Green Tea Leaf Butterfly Cufflinks and you’ll be donating 10% of the purchase to a Peruvian Butterfly Sanctuary! Do some good this season, through fashion.

Aymara Green Tea Leaf Butterfly Cufflinks

Sweat shorts in the summer? Who woulda thunk it? Well GQ did, as well as several high-brow designers. It’s a good way to stay comfy and cool during beach season. Like the new swimming trunks, it defeats the “style” purpose if they’re unnecessarily baggy and what not, so keep it trim.

DSquared2 Sweat Shorts for Spring 2012

Pink and White Bandana, Silk, Spring 2012

And what about some hot new kicks for the season? Mark Anthony Green from GQ Magazine says, “We’ve been aggressively lobbying for Nike to properly revitalize one of our favorite OG sneakers, the Cortez, for years, and now—to pay homage to the shoe’s fortieth anniversary—they’ve finally done it. (You’re welcome, world.) The Cortez was once the most advanced running shoe on the market; now it’s a perfectly nostalgic sneaker for the street. We think the freshest way to wear a pair is with a suit that can use a kick of color.” Check em’:

The New Nike Cortez

Track and Field Cufflinks

All You Ever Needed to Know You Learned in Kindergarten

Take Naps:

Oh yes, the dreaded/wonderful naptime. When you were five it was a horrid experience, now what you wouldn’t give for those blessed 20 minutes…And actually 20 minutes is all you need. Psychological studies show that the human brain only needs about 20 minutes of naptime (and no more!!) to stay energized throughout the day. Why 20 minutes? Because your brain doesn’t have a chance to fall into REM sleep, yet can get the needed, rejuvanating rest it needs until it’s officially bedtime.

Enamel Dirt Bike Cufflinks

Say Please and Thank You:

Manners go a long way in this world and it’s not up to the South to keep these formalities alive. Getting change from the cashier? Say thank you. Preface every request via speech or email with “please.” Formally end your letters, unless it’s a long series of correspondence.

Eat Little Means (Snack time):

Not only will this keep you satisfied all day, but ti’ll also help maintain your weight. When you don’t snack throughout the day, you tend to eat more (overeat) during your regular meals, causing weight gain and water retention. Also, snacking helps even out your blood sugar and helps battle fatigue, restlessness, and irritability.

Orange Cufflinks

Practice Your Penmanship:

Both your wife and boss can’t stand to read your illegible writing, so it’s time to go back to the drawing…err writing board. Unless you’re a doctor and are scribbling prescriptions all day or have a Master’s in Chicken Scratch, most people should be able to read your writing effortlessly. Get back to the tracing board.

                                                                                                                  Silver Celtic Cross Cufflinks

Clean-Up:

You learn that everything has a place…or at least should have a place. Everything can and should fit into your little cubby space, which is translated into grown-up terms like house, apartment, car, work space, etc. Try to get organized by creatively using shelves, folders, compartmental shelving units, minitature cubby holes at your desk/in your bathroom/kitchen and most importantly, your bedroom. Keep loose change in a jar, pens wrapped in rubber bands, and occasionally sing the Barney “clean-up song” weekly for a refined, mature sense of clean.

Build Blocks:

You learn how to build things and knock them down when necessary. Build your blocks of life, but don’t believe that will last forever–there’s always a time for them to come down. Just like there’s no concrete cement into between your legos (and the Washington Monument), there’s rarely cement to hold parts of your life together. It’s okay if it all falls down.

 

Let’s stop the stigma of the “hoodie” in its tracks–There are many ways to wear the comfortable attire, even in a professional setting. Let’s stop the stereotype associated with this clothing and incorporate it into our daily wardrobe.

So how can you wear it?

Of course the “hoodies” we have shown here are from American Apparel and frankly, aren’t worth the extra dollar, but we’re using them as examples. You can go to your local Target, Walmart, discount store and pick up something similar. Just make sure you get at least one size down so it’s a little snug and fitted.

Over a Collared Shirt

Nantucket Fleece
Zip Hoody from American Apparel

By picking a neutral color, like this Beige Hoodie from American Apparel, and donning it on top of a collared shirt, you can maintain an ultra-sophisticated, yet laid back look. Make sure the hoodie is slim-cut and fits your frame, or you’ll zap the “sophisticated ” part from the statement and be left with”laid-back.”

At the Beach

Red at the beach is ultra-suave. Even bright orange will do the trick. There are so many colors to choose from, but nothing is worse than a dark/black hoodie at the beach–so opt for lighter colors to save yourself from the sun.

Pink Peace Tie Bar with Onyx and Mother of Pearl

With a pair of Dockers and Shorts

Fine jersey Zip Hoody from American Apparel

Silver Anchor Cufflinks

Rayne Boat Shoe by Dockers

Ah, nothing says summer like a pair of Dockers (on a dock!) coupled with a pastel hoodie. Relax in style this beach season.

To A Baseball Game

Palladium Philadelphia Phillies Cufflinks

Way to represent your team without spending a fortune on the entire jersey and get-up? Simply sport your favorite team’s main color by rocking a hoodie for the day–you get bonus fan points if you couple it with a collared shirt and MLB cufflinks.

On the Street

Striped Fleece Zip Hoody

Michigan Avenue Cufflinks, Chicago Cufflinks

The hoodie is the perfect everyday wear–wear it on the street, to the bank, light/dark colors…it doesn’t matter! Don’t let stereotypes get the best of fashion. Step forward and wear your hoodie with pride. And let’s not forget the memory of Trayvon martin–let’s turn the hoodie into a symbol of peace and love, not hate and judgment.

 

GQ.com recently uploaded their Spring Trend report for 2012–and they hit the mark. GQ Writer Jim Moore features a series of over 100 looks taken straight from the runway and we’ve chosen just a few to highlight here.

The Blue Suit

Michael Bastian, The Blue Suit

Blue and Purple Lotus Silk Tie

The blue suit is perfect for spring and well into summer. Just because the weather brightens and the air warms up, doesn’t mean you’re exempt from wearing a suit to the office, partner meetings, and business dinners. Instead of heavy woolen and dark fabric, opt for something lighter like linen, preferably colored in light blue.

The All-American Look

Moschino, All-American Look

Blue Orange Bloom Cufflinks

There’s something ultra-classic about a pair of rugged jeans coupled with a jean jacket. Incorporate the new trends with this look, such as rolling up with pant leg slightly and pairing it with a brightly colored shoe.

Striped Knit Wear

Nautica, Spring 2012

Orange and Blue Striped Cufflinks

Stripes always make a comeback every few years, but this season we’re seeing them on knitwear, which is pretty cool for spring. They are popping up on ties and accessories, like this Nautica look for spring.

The Suede Wingtip

Emporio Armani, Spring 2012

Ah, enough about this shoe already, right? No! The chic comeback of the wingtip cannot be reckoned with. Get a pair, any color, this spring.