Clothes Indeed for Friends in Need

Written by Megan Flynn and Jenni Schweitzer

We think there’s a pretty good chance that anyone who actually reads our columns knows that we love, love, love clothes, and that we think you should love them, too. However, we realize that your resources may be better spent on other things, so why not make them go farther when you decide to use them? Help other people while you shop by doing a bit of research or following our philanthropic guidelines.

If your thing is:

--Two for one: TOMS shoes sends a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that you purchase for yourself. With your purchase of the comfortable and fashionable sneaks, you’ll be making sure that one less child in a developing country has to go barefoot, which prevents them from soil-transmitted diseases, cuts, sores, and sometimes you’ll even allow them to go back to school since shoes are usually required as part of their uniforms. You can finally buy that pair of shoes you don’t really need and give a pair to someone who does. No more frivolous shopping for you! toms.com

--HIV/AIDS Research: There are many ways to show your support, like a simple red ribbon, but perhaps the most popular clothing brand dedicated to raising awareness is The Gap’s Product RED. Product RED is a line of tees printed with empowering statements which end in ‘red’, like “inspired” or “cultured”. These comfy graphic tees are made of African cotton and 50 percent of the profits go to drug research.



--Have too many t-shirts? MAC is running a campaign with two of their new lipsticks, the “Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick” and the “Viva Glam Cyndi Lipstick.” Some of the proceeds from purchases of the pink and red lipstick shades, go to the MAC AIDS Fund to support men, women and children who are affected by AIDS and HIV globally. Check out http://www.macaidsfund.org/ for more information.






--Recycling: You knew this was coming. There are countless recycling projects across the country, and fortunately, you can contribute and benefit with minimal effort and cost. Coca-Cola Drink 2 Wear shirts, made from recycled Coke bottles, are available at Wal-mart. Freecycle.com is a website dedicated to recycling gently used goods by allowing individuals to post them and others to pick them up. Additionally, several outfitters offer handbags made of recyclables. It’s even easier to go local in Farmville. Madeline’s House is a thrift store across from Wilck’s Lake and the proceeds go to a shelter for abused women and children.

December isn’t the only time to think of good will toward men and women. These are easy ways to make it part of your spending sprees.

Style Inspiration

Posted by Jenni

Trust me, if I had 500 days to talk about Zooey Deschanel, I would be just as enamored with her as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in the indie film 500 Days of Summer. Aside from being the sister of the beautiful Emily Deschanel - star of FOX's Bones, she is a fantastic singer and frequently stirs up the fashion world with her mod hairstyle, vintage clothing, and whimsical silhouettes.







To be your Zooey-est self, either find an amazing vintage bathing suit, or call up Marc Jacobs for your own personal day dress. Or try a fun color combination with a simple tank, skirt, and tights combination. Pair with flats, like Zooey, or try menswear-inspired loafers to test a newer shoe trend.

Send us your style inspirations here, on Facebook, or to longwoodlook@gmail.com.

Pants with Perspective

Written by Megan Flynn and Jenni Schweitzer

This week at The Longwood Look we are seeking to help your love life with fashion sense—because there’s nothing worse than going out on a date with a guy that you barely know and halfway through think, “I know you. I’ve dated you before.” We can save you some time and definitely some heartbreak. We’ve been on enough dates, and we are 98% sure that you can know important things about a guy before you ever even speak to him. As strange as it may seem, you need to start looking at pants. And judging the men who wear them.

This isn’t very scientific. But you can’t say we didn’t warn you.

1)Khaki: Men who wear Dockers or J.Crew pants constantly aren’t actually men at all, at least emotionally—they’re either little boys or they’re elderly—and sometimes, they’re both. Don’t get us wrong, khaki is great sometimes, it’s clean and tidy and all those boring things. When your closet is full of it, though, there’s a problem. Grow up or live a little. There are other things out there. Our advice: Keep looking.

2)Skinny Jeans: Like Khaki Men, Girl Pant Boys hang out on two opposite extremes—either very confident and fun or totally insecure and obsessed with being trendy. We mostly hang out with the confident and fun variety, and a lot of our cool guy friends that dress well all rock skinny jeans. (For a funny take on skinny jeans by someone who knows, check out the post below) Our advice: Proceed, with caution.

3)Distressed/Bleached/Deliberately Damaged Denim: Oh boy. Here’s a question—why would you pay money (sometimes extra) for a pair of pants that some poor kid in a third-world country had to spend extra hours ripping up for your aesthetic delight? These men cannot be trusted. We feel, quite strongly, that if someone has a choice between lovely intact jeans and ones with gaping holes and frayed seams and chooses the latter, they’re probably not going to be able to appreciate a good thing when they see it. Our advice: Steer clear.

4)Worn-in Jeans: A silhouette labeled “worn-in” is not only kind-of gross, it’s also questionable. Someone who wants pre-worn pants? Seriously? Well, whatever the reason, we’ve discovered that Worn-in Guys aren’t so bad. Clearly, they may not welcome change or adventure, and they probably enjoy cheeseburgers. They might really love dogs. We’re pretty sure you know Worn-in Guys. The problem with them is that they really tend to be against change. These are men who live by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Make sure you give them plenty of notice if you’re going to leave them. Our advice: Give him a try.

5)Boot-Cut Jeans: Now we’re talking about men who wear normal old jeans. Uncomplicated, drama-free jeans. Just like them. We may write a fashion column, but we know the value of a guy who wakes up in the morning and knows that there are more important things than the pants he’s wearing. We’re not saying these guys don’t care—they just happen to prefer jeans that always look good without being fussy. Medium to dark wash, boot-cut jeans work with all kinds of shirts and make the whole world a little simpler. Our advice: Find one for yourself.


Like jean shopping, dating takes a few tries, and things can always change. But as always, the most important thing is finding something that fits your life and makes you happy enough to forget the rest of them.

Spiderman, hipsters and pants, oh my!

Before constructing this week's Look (Pants with Perspective) we asked one of our highly fashionable friends to write a creative piece on the stereotypes certain pants convey. As an example, we cited the notorious 'hipster skinny-jean'. He complied. Enjoy.

-If you didn’t already know, the skin-tight jeans worn by male hipsters such are the brain-eating symbiotes that plagued the superheroes of Marvel Comics.

Spiderman became host to the first and most famous symbiote -- Venom -- in Secret Wars #8. While looking for a fix to his battle-damaged costume, Spiderman accidentally discovered in a prison module what appeared, at first, to be a stronger replacement -- with impressive new features such as a never-ending supply of web and morphing capabilities. The average person might have a few concerns about an oily black goo that so eagerly spreads itself over your body. Not Spidey, though.

I encounter my symbiote at Tractor Supply Company, in Farmville. I needed a replacement for my old pair of wide-legged jeans -- 32-30 -- that had been washed so many times over the years they were now more white than blue. I was in a hurry, though. A despairing friend needed a shoulder on which to bawl. I simply wanted to buy a new pair jean of the same style as my old ones before the store closed for the night. In my rush, I didn't notice, however, that the pair of jeans I had bought were not wide-legged, but Cowboy Cut.

When I tried them on a few hours later, they were so tight it hurt to sit. The button above the zipper jammed against my stomach hard enough to leave a mark.

However! I looked absolutely fabulous in them. As my friend sobbed on the couch in the living room, I couldn’t stop standing up and admiring my better half in the window’s reflection. “Who is the fairest one of all?” I cooed under my breath.

Now, Spider Man’s relationship with his symbiote quickly lost its charm. The alien costume liked to control Spidey’s actions while he slept. It’s long-term goal was full control of the brain. The ensuing struggle between Spidey and Vemon bears all the mental and physical hallmarks of an abusive relationship. There was fighting, crying, pain, and a huge power struggle. Words were said. A number of times the symbiote threated to eat Spidey’s spleen. Their relationship was eventually terminated in a chiming bell tower.

The Cowboy Cuts and I have not yet reached the point of conflict. However, I can certainly see how they have made me different person. Pants of this tightness alter blood flow, which slowly decreases the amount of oxygen the brain receives. I now understand the detached ironic mood of hipsters much better than before. I’ve observed what happens to hipster gentlemen who wear tight jeans for an extended period of time. The brain damage manifests itself in many ugly ways, from their taste in music (indie), their taste in shirts (twee), and their consumption of beer (PBR).

I do not look forward to joining the dour ranks of these people. Who would? But I have a choice: being faithful to all the things in which I believe, or looking damn sexy. I choose the latter, and I do so with a stiff upper lip for the horrors that it will wreak upon my life. I am reminded of a request Venom once made of Spider Man. “Come closer,” he said, “so we can suck your lungs out through your cerebral cortex.”

Tune in soon for Megan and Jenni's personal pant peeves.