I posted this yesterday (Dec. 29):

I too, wore a pair of wide leg slacks to work the other day. Actually, it was more of a tailored baggy look - wide enough, but not bell bottom crazy. But does this wide leg craze pertain to men? If not, then I’m just gonna wear mine any way.

It just so happens that I was flippin’ through my latest issue of GQ and in their feature, The New Basics, they were giving some pointers on what the new staple items in a man’s closet should be. Low and behold they had a pair of wide-leg pants:

…except they don’t call it wide-leg, they call it full-cut. Tomato, Tomatoe - same difference. Also, the ones they showed in the mag were made by Marc Jacobs and sell for $490. I bought my blue denim-ish pair from a thrift store for $8. Eat your heart out Marc.

Brian Geraghty wears this gray suit perfectly at the We Are Marshall premiere. Great cut, great fit and styled to a tee with that skinny tie.

So as I was doing my 2006 Trend Yearbook, I caught on to the fact that the whole 60’s mod thing is in. I guess I can live with that.

More than that, many women can expect a trouser with a tailored top and a wider leg opening. So I suppose you can say these celebs are on the right track:

Amy Smart in a baggy, yet chic wide leg at the premiere of Notes on a Scandal

Sheryl Crow sports a more tailored wide leg at the premiere of Home of the Brave

Also at the Home of the Brave premiere, Jennifer O’Dell gives the widest leg of them all.

I too, wore a pair of wide leg slacks to work the other day. Actually, it was more of a tailored baggy look - wide enough, but not bell bottom crazy. But does this wide leg craze pertain to men? If not, then I’m just gonna wear mine any way.

I predict the wide leg is becoming the new skinny pant. If it’s been seen on the runway and red carpet, chances are that it will trickle down to the masses. I should’ve known this when I saw Paris Hilton wearing a pair when I interviewed her - okay, I swear, that’s the last time I am going to reference my interview with her. I mean, come on, I am just gonna milk that interview for all that it’s worth.

It is one of the greatest show ever made and Entertainment Weekly can vouch for that. The pop culture mag named it as one of the top 10 entertainers of the year in its “best of the year” issue…and that photo spread they did with the season 3 members - how striking! Tim Gunn looks fashionably regal, Michael and Nina actually look vulnerable, the final 4 (Michael, Laura, Uli and Jeffrey) look fantastic and Heidi - well, she looks like Heidi.

Oh my. I cannot WAIT until season 4. Perhaps I’ll try out for the show one day - but then again, maybe I should wait until my sewing skills are actually good.

The show is the greatest and has given people a different perspective on fashion. Bravo to Project Runway!…no pun intended

Read the full article here.

…and because I don’t want to fill up space with another post…here’s some other recent fashion news…

Fashion monarchs in Italy have agreed to not use models under a size 2 in order to fight anorexia. It’s about damn time. Fashion forward is NOT having malnutritioned skeleton-like models walking down the runway and appearing in campaign ads. Maybe everyone else will follow their lead….

Click here for the skinny on this story (again, no pun intended).

Remember when I went to interview Paris Hilton a couple weeks back at Macy’s? Well if you don’t, click here and here to refresh your memory.

While all the focus was on Paris, I decided to appreciate all the things that were going on in the background with some good ol’ fashioned people watching. I eventually took a snapshot of this:

I am talking about the gentleman in the hat. I didn’t know his name, but he was Paris’ publicist. From the actions I saw acted out from him and her other publicists, I have learned that the duty of a publicist is to be seen and not heard. He also has to constantly be on his cell phone or constantly pressing buttons on his Blackberry and/or Treo.

His look is refined and very dandy - something that I happily admire.

The fall/winter-friendly textured tweed blazer and fedora is a style that isn’t used enough by men. I think that some may think it makes them look too old, but this mysterious publicist makes it look young and professional - but not TOO young.

Need some help starting this modernized vintage textured look? Center the focus of the outfit on this Goorin Brothers “Bruiser” knit fedora…

…if you set your outfit’s mood to that, you can probably get a good tweed-like dandy look.

Trends were all over the fashion terrain in 2006. We saw the skinny jean, the bubble skirt, “man-dallions,” high waists and accessories that outweighed the mass of a baby elephant - but there were plenty of other trends which may or may not live to see 2007.

2006 FASHION ROUND UP

Holy Stripes Fashion-man!: Despite the fashion urban legend of horizontal stripes being unflattering to one’s body - stripes invaded the trend world like Normandy - but it was the horizontal ones that conquered them all!

They were thick, thin and went up, down, diagonal and every which way to create geometric patterns - which was blatantly a set up for the forecasted mod-ernized look in 2007. Conspiracy or not? you make the call.

The fashion future foretells… we’ll see stripes in 2007, but in a much smaller scale - small plaids and thinner stripes. Definitely geometric, but subdued.

Flat-footed and wedged: The ballerina flats were very chic this year and it was nicely contrasted with wedge heels. I am a Manolo man myself so I wasn’t the biggest fan of this trend. It continued the bohemian direction of fashion footwear.

The fashion future foretells… Sorry - but these will slowly phase out and we’ll go back to regular heels that define a women’s legs.

Ready-to-Wear Recruitment: I don’t know if it was the war, but various interpretations of the military look were in. Modernized army jackets, naval inspirations, dog tags, deep military greens, camo, ornate detailing on evening gowns and dresses. Military looks were apparent in men and womenswear.

The fashion future foretells… As long as the war is happening, fashionistas will subconsciously make a statement with military-inspired garb.

Not your normal dungarees: Designer denim was a big deal - mainly for men. True Religion, Paper Denim and Cloth, Mavi - all sorts of top-notch denim was a hit all over stores. Granted, I have a rule where I don’t spend over $50 on jeans, I thought the denim craze was admirable in 2006.

The fashion future foretells… Denim never goes out of style…unless it’s acid-washed. But I do think we need to get away from this whole dirty denim, torn to shreds look and go back to clean dark denim.

Absolutely Glamorous: Glam rock, punk, goth, dark - all of that “provocateur” stuff was evident in 2006. It was sinister and very casual. We saw it on the runway and in retail stores all over the place. The color palettes were very deep, silhouettes were severe and dark shades slimmed us down in a Vampire state of mind.

The fashion future foretells… We can only take so much darkness before we need a little light. This trend has overstayed its welcome.

2007 FASHION FORECAST

Lighten up!: Things will definitely get lighter as we approach the spring, and it will possibly spill over into the fall. The key word is KHAKI and lots of it. It’s only obvious that it would be in considering it’s a staple for the warmer seasons.

Coinciding with that, lighter shades will provide cleaner and simpler looks that provide romantically conscious ideals for women with floral prints and retro passion. For the men, they will continue to test the boundaries of the color pink and other shades of the pastel persuasion. All the while, it will adhere to a modernized 60’s vibe.

Yellow gold is in for 2007! Check out this necklace a la Carrie Bradshaw’s ‘Carrie’ necklace in Sex and the City.

I pity the fool!: I think that many of us are tired of platinum, silver and white gold. It’s time to go back to the wondrous world of yellow gold! The characteristics of 70’s glam gold will be reincarnated for a more refined 21st century look. If you want to take grab hold of some good golden looks, H&M already has some stock - just make sure you don’t go overboard like Mr. T.

Looks to look for in 2007!

Cropped is key: Cropped pants, cropped coats, cropped sleeves - women will see things a lot shorter for 2007 - but not in that hoochie momma sort of way. Think more of Pierre Cardin’s mid-60’s “spacey” collection, but less ridiculous. Of course, this goes with the whole prediction of mod. In other words, less volume, more streamlined.

This Balenciaga design epitomizes the concept of volume in 2006:

Overall, I think fashion will take a different turn in 2007. Men will start dressing like gentlemen and women will start dressing like ladies. I hope that this whole deconstructive glam rock look fades out and that the elegant and clean comes back into play.

There’s already one in Concord, one in Walnut Creek and a total of THREE in San Francisco…I’m talking about my favorite inexpensive Swedish retailer of trendy clothes, H&M.

In case you haven’t heard already, they are planning to spread their clothing goodness even more throughout the Bay Area. They are slated to open a new store next door to Emeryville’s Ikea in 2007!!! How exciting is that?! Two Swedish frugal shopping experiences right next to each other - it’s like being in a middle-ranged salary retail shopping utopia!

There’s something about H&M that makes me so happy. Sure, some of their clothes don’t last very long, but it’s European-style tailoring (for men, women and children) and trendy aura provides me with good wardrobe basics at fair prices. To make things better, its trendy clothes (like their skinny ties and other in-vogue youthful looks) last long enough to see the end of their run as “cool” clothes.

They have even planned to open a store in Japan in the fashion-forward Harajuku district of Japan! I am just waiting to marvel at the looks those Harajuku street kids do with the clothes at H&M. The conceptual structure of the store is even stylish:

Ah, H&M, you are my best friend.

If you haven’t been to one already, go visit one of the following stores:

CONCORD:
Sun Valley Mall
1 Sun Valley Mall
925.969.0209
Mon-Sat: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WALNUT CREEK
Broadway Plaza
1450 Mt. Diablo Road
925.935.2394
Mon-Fri: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO:
150 Post Street
Mon-Sat: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
415.986.0156

150 Powell Street
Mon-Sat: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
415.986.4215

Westfield San Francisco Centre
845 Market Street
415.543.1430
Mon-Sat: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Visit H&M.com for more info!

Let me take a moment to stand on my soapbox runway and speak up about gym fashion.

The gym and fashion are two concepts that don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but still, there are some pet peeves of mine when it comes to workout attire. As an avid gym-goer, I have had a lot of time to see how people dress to go to the gym. Some of it is logical and other times, it’s as ridiculous as a girl walking .000001 mph on a treadmill while drinking a Big Gulp from 7-11.

The main thing that prompted me to write this blog post is something that I saw at the gym at my pre-glutton Christmas Eve feast work out. I saw a gentleman in basketball shorts and a regular t-shirt. This is perfect for workout attire, but then there was one eyesore - an inappropriately huge gold chain swinging like a pendulum from his neck. I had one word for this, “Why?”

Now I can understand if he treasures this chain, but he could’ve put it in a locker or even left it at home. Other than that, I wonder if he found it uncomfortable when the chain would bop him in the face while he was running on the treadmill.

Then there is the topic of functional clothing. When one goes to the gym, we look for two main things: comfort and breathable fabric. So can you tell me why I see many people wearing jeans? Or even polo shirts? or an outfit for a night on the town? and even flip flops…that just doesn’t make sense.

Finally there’s the prissy little girl who goes to the gym for one reason: to look good. She comes in caked-on makeup, hoochie-cut shorts and a ditzy smile that doesn’t leave her face. Testosterone-fueled frat boys are checking her out, the older men are uncomfortable, the ladies scoff at her and I just sit there and wonder how long it took her to get ready just to go to the gym.

If I could bring my camera into the gym to take pictures of these people, I would - but that would just be creepy and possibly get me arrested.

The bottom line is - wear what’s sensible for the gym - t-shirts, breathable shorts, wind pants, track pants and things of that sort. If you buy your gym clothes from the “street clothing” section of the store, then it’s time for you to make a trip to Big 5 Sports or the active wear section at Target.

Thank you in advance for leaving your outsized bling and buckets of makeup at home before going to the gym.

It’s a Wonderful Life 60th Anniversary Edition, $14.99

Need I say more?

Yes, I know it’s played in repetition throughout the month of December (and the end of November), but come on, it’s an iconic movie that reminds us to be grateful for what we have. It’s meaning goes beyond Christmas and it’s just a darn good feel-good movie - once you get passed all of that suicide nonsense.

Thus ends this journey of 24 days of gifts. I hope you found the perfect gifts for all of your loved ones.

On behalf of my fellow Inside The Bay Area bloggers, have a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Christmas is two days away and if you aren’t done with your shopping, then you should be ashamed of yourself! Okay, that was a little harsh - but if you are still looking for a gift, here’s one you might want to consider:

The Fashion Book by Phaidon Press, $31.05

Once again, this is one of those cases of “give what you want to get” gifts - well at least for me it is. This is the ULTIMATE guide to fashion for all your fashionista friends. From Gucci to Grace Jones, it’s a great visual guide to everything you need to know about designers, photographers and models in the industry. If your friend isn’t a fashionista, it makes a great coffee table book. If your friend doesn’t have a coffee table, then I don’t know what to tell you. It’s just a fancy book and considering you only have two more days of shopping - desperate times call for desperate measures.

Available at any of those monolithic book retailers or at Amazon.com.