Although many of us would like to go barefoot, the closest we can get is sandals. Sandals might be the oldest shoe (10,000 years or so according to radiocarbon dating); all that's needed is a flat piece of material and a strap to hold it on. At first, the material might have been bark or leaves, at least until humans learned to tan hide. Some of the mightiest civilizations traveled on sandals. Egyptians built the pyramids in them, Greeks argued about existence in them and Rome conquered a large part of the known world in them. They have definite advantages in warmer climates and seasons. … [Read more...]
It’s in the jeans: denim has taken over the world
All Jacob Davis wanted to do was make a stronger pair of pants. If he could see what he wrought, he'd be wide-eyed in amazement. Davis was a Nevada tailor who made clothes for miners. Mining is rough on fabric, so Davis made sure his cloth – a specific weave of cotton, usually dyed blue, called denim -- could stand up to the abuse. Still, his customers had to buy bolts of cloth so they could repair torn seams. Davis's solution: copper rivets. Davis decided he needed to patent the process, so he turned to his denim supplier, Levi Strauss, and they formed a partnership in 1872. The rest, as … [Read more...]
The big man’s conundrum: No room in the catalog
Look inside most “big, big-tall” men's catalogs and you'll find – tall guys. No “huskies” here. “Husky” is, of course, a euphemism. It's not used as much now; used to be a heavier boy dragged to the department store would head for the “husky” shelves, face burning all the while because he knew what “husky” really meant: fat. In a country where obesity is a central concern for everyone from babies to senior citizens, you'd think the clothes sellers in the “big, big-tall” catalogs would have more consideration for their overweight customers. But no, the male models … [Read more...]