Guest post: when style turns nasty

Turn of the century workers: boots of death (Pic: Kathleen Potter)

The last thing we think about when it comes to styling ourselves are the health risks, but as guest poster Eric Stevenson points out, fashion can be painful.

Polyester: combustible

Ever hear of fashion risks? People dive into the craziest trends, eyes closed, head first. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. It's all up to your fashion sense, your guts, and your timing. But fashion can damage more than your reputation. It can be seriously dangerous. Did you know that fashion can literally kill you? It's possible, and it happened all the time.

Back in the day (the Fifties), lots of clothing, especially kids clothes, were really, really flammable. We're talking brushed rayon sweaters , cowboy chaps, and even pyjamas. Scary, right? These days there are laws to keep people from igniting every time they get too close to any kind of heat. Back then, kids and others who followed these fashion trends would actually catch on fire. If that's not risky fashion, what is?

Maybe this. Did you know people can get cancer from clothes? Yep. Mesothelioma. Deadly. As recently as the Seventies people wore their work boots to factories and construction sites. Those old triple stitch, steel toes carried asbestos (which lead to Mesothelioma Symptoms ). The workers inhaled, and within 50 years they were dead. Even if the boots were washed, asbestos could still get in the air and into lungs. Talk about dangerous.

As well as spontaneously combusting or contracting lung cancer, people could lose their minds. Fashion could do that. Ever heard anyone say "Mad as a hatter”? The phrase has more to it than Alice and Wonderland lets on. In the past, hat makers used mercury in their pelts. The poor hat makers inhaled the stuff and that was it. Their neurological stability went out the door. Mercury can make you crazy, and with too much in the air, it could kill you. In the 1800s hat makers walked the streets incoherent and blubbering, just so ladies and gentleman could keep up with latest trends. Sacrifice for fashion? I think so.

So what does this have to with now? If you're a retro fanatic, if you love throwback sweaters, hats, and boots, watch your back ... and your lungs ... and your brain. Flammability, asbestos, and mercury may have been involved with the making of those old accessories and tops. Don't be fooled. Fashion can be deadly dangerous.

Fifties leisurewear: unsuitable for digging roads (Pic: Ed Woods)

Visvim spring summer 2011:

Hiroki Nakamura has always had a thing for native Americans, and even though he might have diversified a little with his motorsport inspired Visvim collection last year and the Moncler V collaboration this winter it seems that for spring 2011 he's been having another pow-wow with the Navajo.

As well as the more obviously mocassin influenced shoes such as the Shaman he has used blanket patterns in the blazers and also taken on more cowboy infuluences with yolked jackets and a number of denim treatments.

The result is a colourful palette and a collection that takes us back to the kind of look visvim always did best.

Via Slamxhype

Kate Moss for Balmain: get up woman!

Kate Moss always looks like she's missed more than a few sleeps to me, which could be one reason why she's chosen to go horizontal on a black leather sofa in this latest video for Balmain.

The fact that even the back of her head makes good viewing must be the reason why whe's still getting so much work after all these years, although whether this campaign means that she still counts as the 'face' of Balmain is up for debate.


Via Freshness

Smashed sub: when time stood still

This is what happens when you drop a Submariner face down on a tiled bathroom floor. To be honest I wasn't expecting quite such devastation, but I have put this watch through so much abuse that I'm guessing time was up and the crystal couldn't cope with another full-force impact.

I blame the Nato strap. It seemed like such a good idea to replace the bracelet but the strap was always fiddly to get fastened. It was during one of these fastening manoeuvres when disaster struck.

The upside to this is that I will receive back from the watchmaker a fully refurbished, polished and serviced Submariner. When this will be I don't know - they've had the thing for weeks already.

Time has never passed so slowly.

Ally Capellino x Norse Projects backpack: in the bag

Backpacks have come a long way over the years. What once began life as a simple canvas sack with a couple of straps sewn on is now all ballistic fabrics and lumbar support, with fully adjustable straps.

The evolution of the backpack might well be a good thing to your average adventurer but what the backpack has gained in features it has lost in character. The very soul of the sack itself has been lost in development.

The Ally Capellino x Norse Project backpack takes its design cues from the earlier versions of the backpack, with its waxed cotton canvas, heavy duty strapping and leather base. On first glance there isn't much in the way of modern features here, but then you will notice the back padding and the laptop sleeve, and you will realise this is an old timer in appearance only.

Nigel Cabourn Everest Parka: summit in the air

That night I was down the pub in Spitalfields this fella came in wearing a thick orange down-filled parka with a fleece collar and fastened only by the drawstring at the waist. He'd tied his scarf,  which had a red Aquascutum check, with a long drop at the front and tucked the tail into the drawstring.

On the wrong person, and given the time of year, this could have looked like he had just emerged from Santa's grotto, but on him it worked.

Courtesy of the chaps at fuk.co.uk I have now tracked down the parka. It is the Everest Parka by Nigel Cabourn, and here's a look at the blue version.

Kanye West Devil in a New Dress: cleaned out through the front door

Ah, bling. Here today gone tomorrow. I expect there's a message in this Kanye West video for Devil in a New Dress. Something like 'be careful who you lend your keys to'.

Or if you fancy thinking a little deeper, maybe this is a comment on the state of the world economy, how we've all been robbed blind while our backs were turned. And now we're going to PAY.

I'm sure Kanye  wouldn't be thinking in quite such political terms.