Product Appreciation: Cotton Clouds

I never gave much thought to cotton balls until I tried Cotton Clouds, now I wouldn't dream of using anything else. Sure, I was pretty certain I would like them before I even used them because 1. their graphics remind me of Peanuts cartoons and 2. they come in a "rainbow pack" with a variety of pastel colors (the colors of the Clouds in the picture don't quite do them justice), which feels very fancy, even better, they get their color from natural vegetable dyes (white is also available for more serious individuals). Once I actually tried them I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually liked the product. They're absorbent, soft and don't leave little cotton whisps all over the place when they're damp. An added bonus is that because of the weave of the cotton, it is possible to separate them in half lengthwise for thinner Clouds.

Things that look like other things: Kate Spade Book of the Month Cluth

I want this bag! The End.

Resource: Ask Andy About Clothes

I'm fearful that this resource may be something my male readers have been reading for years however, while researching an upcoming post I came across Andy Gilchrist's Ask Andy About Clothes (AAAC). Have you see this website? It's really quite amazing and so comprehensive!

The content on AAAC has not been updated since 1997 and it is rather difficult to navigate but this only adds to the charm. The forums are still very active and include conversations which examine both men's and women's clothing and discuss hard-hitting matters such as "shoe trees vs. travel shoe trees" or "do jackets always have to be blue to be called a blazer?" Also, don't forget to look at Andy's FAQs where you will learn about the difference between a lamb's wool and a virgin wool sweater.

So, here's why Andy Gilchrist is my new favorite human:

1. He wrote his own Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes which is available for download or CD-rom, how quaint!

2. He has a color wheel for sale which he uses to explain matching and color pairings but he also has a page on AAAC called "The Simple Version of Color Theory & Matching" which is quite involved but very informative.

3. He attends something called the "Sartorial Excellence Show" which is a 2 day conference with discussions entitled "More than you ever wanted to know about: Socks" and "Correctly Sewing a Button." (I'm concerned that this event might actually be a thinly-veiled marketing camping but I'd rather live my life thinking that such a conference would exist with the strict goal getting the word out about socks).