Bruce Julian's Clothiers: store review

I have hesitated to write this review for fear that I can't be objective in my critique. I absolutely love this place. Bruce Julian is my favorite place to shop for clothes and quite possibly one of the best men's clothing stores in the southeast. They carry the regions most unique and stylish brands like Jhane Barnes, Alex Cannon, Haupt, Bobby Chan, Robert Graham, and many more.

Bruce himself works hard to find the next big fashion stars and often he stocks lesser known designer's lines. A perfect example of this is Luchiano Visconti a label out of Great Neck, New York. Visconti shirts are one of the best bargains going right now, offering the highest quality and fashion forward design for reasonable prices.

It might be prudent to include a word about pricing at this point. For the most part Bruce Julian stocks designer clothes but the pricing is in line with or only slightly higher than most department stores. What you get in return is top quality and more than anything else high style. Bruce is also famous for his sales, more often than not Bruce is having a 2 for 1 or even 3 for 1 sale on certain items. These sales sometimes include custom clothing... even suits!

Speaking of custom clothes Bruce Julian offers a huge variety of choices in custom tailored clothing. So whether you need custom shirts, suits, or pants this is the place to go in North Carolina.

Overall, the service and selection you will find at Bruce Julian's Clothiers far surpasses that of any other retailer in the area. So, if you want to look your best give them a try and tell them you heard it here.

Bruce Julian
www.brucejulian.com
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Arboretum

8128-300 Providence Road

Charlotte, North Carolina 28277

704-364-8686

Hours:

Monday - Saturday 10 - 7

Sunday 1 - 5

Blog Action Day: do your part to end poverty

Today is "Blog Action Day" a day set aside for bloggers all over the globe to speak out about a single issue, this year that issue is poverty. So, at this point you're probably muttering to yourself something like, "what can I do to eliminate poverty... this guy is crazy." Well, while I may be a bit off from time to time, I do have some good ideas on how we can do our part and best of all they can be fun. 

One way you can help involves eating. First figure out what you normally spend on dinner each night. Then take one week and see how cheaply you can eat and simply donate the difference to a local food bank.

Another idea involves shopping. Step one is to go through your closet and weed out all your old clothes. Next donate them to a homeless shelter or charity. Now shop for new stuff and fill that closet back up.

Maybe you're more of a social person? Get a group of friends together and donate an evening to a soup kitchen or other charity. This is also a great idea for a group date night.

OK, so those are my three ideas but you might have even better ones. So, I challenge you to come up with three realistic ways you can fight poverty and then... follow through with them!

Socks, Ties, and Everything Nice: to match or not to match

I have gotten a few questions regarding the proper way to match socks and ties with other articles of clothing. The goal here is to create a complete look so that all clothing components "go" or coordinate with each other. So let's start with socks.

In a conservative outfit socks are supposed to act as an extension of the pant leg not the shoe. Therefore they should be the same color or slightly darker than the trousers you are wearing. Matching your socks to your pants helps create a longer vertical line and makes you appear slightly taller than you would otherwise. If you work in a conservative environment or you are interviewing this is a good rule of thumb. However, if you have some freedom or are one of those fashion forward types you can push this a bit, with lighter colored or patterned or even brightly colored socks as long as they compliment your overall outfit. They can pull some color from your shirt and some from your pants, they can even coordinate with your tie. This look is a little more risky but it can actually make you look more fashionable if done correctly. This should go without saying but, never wear athletic socks with anything other than athletic wear, and please tell me you don't wear jeans to the gym.

Ties, on the other hand, are designed to pull your entire outfit together. They should use color and pattern to "tie" your shirt to your pants or suit. This can be done with highlight colors found in your other clothes or by contrasting the color of the tie with both your shirt and pants. The problems begin to arise when you go too far and pick a tie that has no connection to your other clothes. Another common mistake is to match too closely your shirt and tie. If your shirt and tie combination creates a "hidden tie" effect you need to start over. 

Try following these tips to make sure you complete the look the next time you dress up.

Funny Stuff From Class: the things people say

My typography class is currently designing conceptual billboards for local haunted houses in the area. During class the other day one of my students popped his head up and asked, "hey I want to have a guy hanging from a noose... would that be OK?" Another student didn't miss a beat and said, "as long as he's not black." Later in the same class a girl complained, "I can't make anything look scary." Two rows over someone said, "ask your parents how they did it." This really struck me as funny, call it a twisted sense of humor or whatever, I enjoy it when students interact on such a sharp witted level. 

To try and foster just such an environment I often find myself "zinging" a student in response to a complaint or insipid comment. In another of my classes a male student was explaining how he felt about workplace privacy when a female student interrupted saying, "Honey, I ain't nobody's fool..." At which point I cut her off and asked if there might be someone willing to adopt her. Once I walked into a classroom and everyone was being obnoxious, a student asked if I was upset and I responded that "if idiots could fly this would be an airport."

I guess the point of this post is that sometimes humor, even insults, can make us think. I'd like to leave you with one important thought, but I'm not sure you have a place to put it.

Rules We Follow: but never agreed to

Evidently there was a meeting at some point where some great minds came up with a set of behavior rules that most of us follow in our daily lives. While I agree with many of them there are a few that we might want to break if for no other reason than to entertain ourselves.

It is understood that when you ride in an elevator you are supposed to face the doors. I think that is ridiculous. Next time you're sharing an elevator with other people turn around and face them. Then you can start asking questions like you are a quiz show host.

You are also not supposed to have people ride in the trunk of your car. I can't explain the excitement created when you pull up to a gas station and pop your trunk to let out a passenger. You are guaranteed to get stares.

There are a lot of these rules set aside for public bathrooms. For example it is perfectly fine for women to go to the restroom in pairs or small groups, they can even hold hands on the way. Men however must go one at a time. From personal experience it is also against these rules to shake hands with anyone in the men's room. Eye contact is frowned upon and really is only acceptable if you are both washing your hands and making eye contact through the mirror. Also there is no looking down in the men's room. This is especially tough on those guys with low self esteem. Talking in the men's room is discouraged, but it seems to be acceptable if the conversation is held between two close friends or if the topic is sports related.

Next time you are looking for a few laughs try breaking some of the rules. You may be rewarded with applause or you may just get a bunch of strange looks but it will undoubtedly be interesting.

Traveling 101: what not to wear on a plane

I just got back from a trip to the west coast and I was stunned by what some people wear when traveling. It amazes me that people who ought to know better still wear shorts and flip-flops on a plane. I am not saying you should wear your Sunday best, but long pants and closed toed shoes seem obvious choices for those with even the barest margin of common sense. 

If you have never flown it might be important to explain that as soon as the doors close and the plane is preparing for take-off they cut the air conditioning on and it stays on high for the duration of the flight. Also the planes are "cleaned" between flights in a haphazard process that often misses things like gum in the seats or on the floor boards. Also the seats are narrow with little leg room, and they are bolted to the floor with thick metal brackets. So, you can see how stepping or sitting in gum, and stubbing your toe can easily occur. 

Once you reach your destination there is usually a long walk to baggage claim which may include any or all of the following: trams, escalators, elevators, moving sidewalks, stairs, ramps, and/or bumps. Also airports tend to transition between carpet and polished tile at random intervals, so shoe choice is important for these reasons and one more. Possibly the most compelling reason for wise shoe choice is the fact that airport restroom floors are disgusting. Sometimes they are flooded, sometimes they are slippery, sometimes they are sticky, and sometimes they are just indescribable, but 100% of the time you do not want to touch your bare foot to them.

So, the proper attire should be: long pants that are nice but not too nice, well constructed shoes that are comfortable, and layers on top so that you can adjust to the temperatures in the airport, the airplane, and your destination.

This means the following choices are out: high heels, sandals, shorts, your best suit, your favorite dress, and anything that might fall off and hit the bathroom floor.

Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy your next flight no matter where you are headed.

Drawing 102: perfect requires practice

The first time you do anything it is highly unlikely that you will be good at it. Drawing is no different. I can't count the number of times new students come to me before class and say, "I can't draw." It seems that they think drawing is some kind of god given talent that one either has or doesn't have. Drawing is like any thing else: the more you work at it the better you'll be. 

Many people also start out drawing subjects that are beyond the capability of most beginning artists. If the first thing you try to draw is a self portrait... well you're vain, but you're also likely to be less than pleased with the results. Start out with simple shapes like blocks and cones. As you master these you can build your more complex subjects out of these component shapes as if you were building them with Legos. Use a light pencil for this structural sketch work and then refine your lines until you are happy with the form. This process allows for mistakes and gives the artist the ability to easily correct those errors. 

Taking the time to complete many "studies" of a subject using this method will improve your skill at drawing and also enhance your familiarity with the nature of what you are drawing. 

Portrait Photography: make your model look fabulous

When taking portraits of people some photographers do not take into account the design possibilities that are available. Each model presents different strengths and weaknesses and failing to address those creates stale boring images. Portraits should be a creative collaboration between the model and the photographer, taking into account design aesthetics and the environment.

If your model is athletic and flexible you should incorporate this dynamism into the photo. Use angled lines in the environment to highlight angled poses and features of your model. Use stairs and railings as visual cues to avoid posing your model in a straight line. Bend their knees and stretch their arms to compliment the different lines of the stairs. While the result shouldn't look like modern dance it also shouldn't look like your grandmother posing in front of the fireplace.

If your model is muscular and strong try shooting them from above forcing a three point perspective view. This will make them appear almost super human with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. 

If you are shooting a more traditional pose make sure you don't take the picture at eye level. This distorts the subject and creates a pear shape that is not flattering for anyone. Try moving the camera to waist level or even lower to capture a more centered view of your model. 

Consider using a shallow depth of field for portrait work. This allows you to blur the background and force the viewer's focus toward the model. It is a good idea to take portraits with a telephoto lens for just this reason. The telephoto lens will have a shallower depth of field and it will allow you to remove yourself somewhat from the models immediate environment creating a more comfortable shoot for everyone.