Donate Old Shoes

City Sports is accepting shoe donations for victims of the Haiti earthquakes.  This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of your rubber-soled dress shoes for a good cause.

Have a lovely weekend.  I'll see you at Filene's after work.

Faux Pas - Tags and Stickers

Spotted: A large "M" size sticker on the back of the collar of a gentleman's sport shirt.

And, though it pains me to say it--

Spotted: A price tag, somewhat hidden behind the lapel of a new suit jacket being worn by...me.

Some likely places for unwanted post-purchase decals and tags:

Suits

• Under the left lapel of the coat, a price tag
• In a coat pocket, a materials tag
• In a seat pocket, a materials tag.  This monstrosity tends to come out when you pull out your wallet.

Shirts

• On the back of the collar, a little thumbnail-sized circle.  I see this on at least one pedestrian a week.
• On one side of the chest, generally a long, narrow sticker with sizing info

Pants, Jeans

• On the back of the waist, one of those info tags that clips over the waist
• On the leg, a long, narrow sticker with sizing info

When you bring a new item home from the store, give it a thorough going-over to make sure you catch everything.  Flip up the collar, look under the lapels, turn the pockets inside out.  A size sticker on your leg is almost as embarrassing as an open fly.

Casual: Anything but Trainers, Please

Steve Jobs announced the iPad today.  He was wearing Dad Jeans and...sneakers.  Generic "cross-trainer" athletic shoes.  "Trainers," as they call them across the pond.  This image, thanks to Engadget:

Look, I can't stop you from wearing Dad Jeans to the grocery store.  I know you're going to do it no matter what I say here.  I see you do it every time I go to the grocery store.  There are dozens of you.  Sometimes, you don't even wear Dad Jeans with your trainers--you just wear sweatpants.  Fine.  Wear sweatpants.  I'm sure you won't meet your soulmate at the grocery store.  (Definitely not if you're wearing sweatpants.)

But.  Please do not wear trainers anywhere but the gym.  You are so much more thoughtful than that.  I just know it.

You don't have to wear cap-toes.  They can even be $40 Chuck Taylors, which are half the price as your trainers and will last longer.  In fact, I actively endorse white Chuck Taylor low-tops as a go-to knockabout shoe for blue jeans.  They have a nice foot-lengthening effect, and the blues coordinate.

Go to the DSW or the department store or wherever and get you some Steve Madden casual shoes.  They're comfortable.  I promise.  They're stylish.  Take the step.  Don't look back.  And save the trainers for the company softball game.

Sale: Latest Paul Fredrick $20 Oxford Offer

If you want to get some of Paul Fredrick's great pinpoint oxfords for $20 each, the current coupon code is TZRSAN, valid through February 28, 2010.

Secret Weapons: Jiffy Esteam

Maybe you don't have bad habits like I do, but one of mine is taking my suit pants to the dry cleaners too often.  After two wearings, suit pants are just too wrinkled to safely wear to the office, so I get them pressed.  I do this even in winter, when cooler temperatures mean I don't sweat when I walk around outside.  I never encountered the oft-stated problem of suit pants becoming lighter than suit jacket as a result of too many dry-cleanings, but such frequent washings get expensive quickly.

Enter the Jiffy Esteam.  I got mine on eBay last week for about $35. They are about $50 new.  It Just Works.  You pour water in and plug it in.  It takes a few minutes to heat up.  It releases steam.  You pass the steam-head within a half-inch or so of your wrinkled dress pants, and the wrinkles literally disappear.  I was shocked--shocked!--that such a simple product could be so effective.  It also works on shirts, almost as well as ironing, and it's much faster and less labor-intensive.

If you ever travel with suits and other dress clothing, I can only imagine how convenient the Jiffy would be compared to folding everything up in plastic wrap or whatever your solution is.

Once the hot weather returns and I begin anew to wilt during the day, I'll re-review to see how this little steamer handles odors.

Faux Pas: Peeping Tie

The title is a clever pun on "Peeping Tom."  Get it?  "Tom", "Tie".  They sound alike, but they're different, and yet a Peeping Tom is as unwelcome as your necktie peeking out from underneath the back of your collar.

You'll laugh when you're older.

It's a common problem with an easy fix.  (Peeping collars, not Peeping Toms.)  When you're ready to put your tie on, flip up your collar, button the top button, put in your collar stays, get the knot how you want it, and cinch it down as usual.  Take a close look in the mirror and move the tie-loop up or down so that its top edge is just below the line where your collar folds.  Reach around behind your neck, find the collar-fold line, and flip it down over the tie-loop in one motion.  Flip the rest of the collar down, moving toward the throat.

Once the collar is in place, reach over your shoulder and stick your finger up underneath your collar.  Your necktie should feel at least a quarter of an inch away from the lip of the collar.

Alternate solution: If you have a significant other or roommate who's awake when you're dressing, ask him/her to visually confirm the lack of tie-peeping.

Sale to Watch: Jos. A. Bank Signature Gold for 70% Off

Thanks to Pater for pointing this one out.  Through January 24, Jos. A. Bank is selling their Signature Gold suits for 70% off list (usually $1100), that is, about $330.  This is as good an opportunity as you will ever have, particularly if you are The Guy Who Only Needs One Suit.  The value you obtain for the extra $110 more than you'd pay for an Executive model on sale--indeed, the value you obtain for $330 period--is immeasurable.  We are pretty sure that Hickey Freeman manufactures the Signature Gold suits on JAB's behalf.

As usual, I would recommend going to a brick-and-mortar so you can start to build a rapport with a salesman and make sure the suit fits properly.