Apr
7
Ugg Boots Fashion: Here To Stay?
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What can be said about the latest footwear craze to literally sweep the world? A lot! If you are even wondering what Ugg Boots are, then you are either a male, or you have nothing to do with fashion. Back in the 1970’s, Ugg Boots arrived in a plastic bag in California, being sold to surfers in Southern California that just stepped out of the cold water and onto the beach. For anyone who’s never seen a pair of these boots or held them in their hands, they are very lightweight, which adds to their appeal. Imagine taking pieces of sheepskin that resemble cow suede gluing fluffy sheep’s wool to the other side, form a few pieces into the shape of a boot, get a piece of stamped rubber with a texture, and you’ve just made ugg boots, cheap.
In reality it’s a much more complicated process than this, but the original boots are made down under in the land of Australia. They were made and sold to surfers to begin with, for keeping their cold feet, remember in Southern California the ocean is very cold, warm while they all hung out on the beach. Who would care about the cold feet of a surfing dude? Well, other surfers of course. But no one, not even the original manufacturers could imagine the demand and sales that are achieved today.
A lot of thanks has to go to Oprah Winfrey for stimulating this rather fashion explosion. As you know, if Oprah has something on her show, you can consider it an instant success. She wore them on her show a few times, endorsed them as the most comfortable boots she’s ever worn, and then bought her entire crew a pair. I would rather have a car, but hey, she’s giving them away.
Ugg Boots are created with a serious disadvantage, however. For one thing, you can’t get them wet or the sheepskin on the outside will stain. Now I know what you are thinking, what good is a boot if I can’t get it wet? Well, most users only where them for fashion and don’t wear them on rainy days. The sheepskin boots fashion statement is a strong one worldwide now, and there are a lot of people who want them to just look cool, regardless if their feet get wet or not.
Apr
4
Two Ways to Show Status and Affiliation: Cloisonne Lapel Pins and Embroidered Patches
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Status and Affiliation: We all want to show others that we have them. How do we show identity and achievement? By sporting cloisonne lapel pins and patches, such as military patches. Cloisonne pins are a dressed-up way to show our loyalty. With a pin in our lapel, we can brag about the company we work for, the club we belong to, or the status we have earned. Patches are a decorative but inexpensive way to show who we are and what we’ve done in a more casual manner. Important among the patches are military patches, which can express the pride and patriotism of the wearer.
Cloisonne is an old and beautiful process that was developed in the East. Beautiful artistic pieces can be created using this process. The effect is similar to stained glass but is not transparent. This process consists of many complicated steps. Cloissone consists of various colors of enamel fired onto a metal base. The different colors or sections of the work are separated by a metal wire. First the artist creates the metal base in the form of the finished object, for example, a flower. Next a silver wire is soldered into place where separation is needed between the colors. Third, the enamel powder is placed into the areas of color. Various chemicals create enamels of different colors. After the enamel powder is in place, the piece is fired. This firing creates the solid, glass-like enamel. In the next step, the piece is polished, and finally, the work is gilded or electroplated.
Although this is a labor-intensive process, small lapel pins can be made quite inexpensively. However, although the pins are inexpensive, they can be quite beautiful, looking more valuable than they actually are. This characteristic is a great boon to a company that wants to give a small gift with Wow power. For this reason, cloisonne lapel pins make excellent promotional giveaways or acknowledgments for contributions.
Another use that makes the cloisonne lapel pin valuable is trading at a large event. Swapping pins gives attendees an opening for meeting others and a talking point for conversation. Think of the Olympics. Olympics attendees arrive with a supply of identifying pins that are valuable beyond the bits of metal and enamel. People of greatly disparate cultures are able to communicate and become acquainted through the exchange of pins. And then in the years after returning home, reminiscing over the collection of pins can bring back precious faces and memories.
To acknowledge identity or achievement in a more playful way, you may prefer to use patches. Embroidered patches are larger than pins and can be ironed or sewn onto casual clothing such as jackets, hats, and vests. Patches can identify places that the wearer has visited, and competitions she has won. A fully festooned vest or jacket can show the pride of an active and interesting person.
A special category of patch is the military patch. Again, the meaning and sentiment behind the patch has immeasurable value beyond the mere fabric and colored thread. A military patch is a visible symbol of patriotism and belonging to a humanitarian cause.
Patches and pins are bits of cotton or metal, but the pride and achievement behind them make them a bargain at twice—no thrice—the price.
