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active wear---2017/07/04

21st century sportswear

 Relaxed easy-wear sportswear by Michael Kors, Spring-Summer 2014.

In 2000, the Lifestyle Monitor, an American trade magazine owned by Cotton Incorporated published that their surveys showed that an average of 64% of women interviewed preferred casual wear, including sportswear as distinct from active wear.

 Notable New York sportswear designers of the first decade of the 21st century included Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Mary Ping, Derek Lam, and Behnaz Sarafpour, who were all featured in the Sportswear section of the Victoria and Albert Museum's New York Fashion Now exhibition in 2007.

 Designers who do not typically work in the sportswear tradition such as Monique Lhuillier sometimes incorporate elements of sportswear and activewear into their work. Lhuillier, mainly known for formal gowns, introduced sporty necklines and aerodynamic elements into her collection for New York Fashion Week, Fall 2011.

 In 2012 Tim Gunn noted that the boundaries between activewear and fashion sportswear had become increasingly blurred since the 1980s, with many people choosing to wear hoodies, tracksuits, yoga pants, and other garments explicitly associated with athletic wear as everyday dress.

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activewear - clothing--2017/07/03

History of sportswear design

Pre-1920

 Sportswear originally described activewear - clothing made specifically for sport. Part of the evolution of sportswear was triggered by 19th-century developments in female activewear, such as early bathing or cycling costumes, which demanded shorter skirts, bloomers, and other specific garments to enable mobility, whilst sports such as tennis or croquet could be played in barely-modified conventional dress.[4] One of the first couturiers to specialise in sports-specific clothing was the British John Redfern who in the 1870s began designing tailored garments for increasingly active women who rode, played tennis, went yachting, and did archery. Redfern's clothes, although intended for specific sporting pursuits, were adopted as everyday wear by his clients, making him probably the first sportswear designer.[6] Also in the late nineteenth century, garments associated with activewear and/or modified from menswear, such as the shirtwaist began to form part of the working woman's wardrobe. Prior to 1920, men and women could both demonstrate their being at leisure simply by removing a jacket, either literally in the case of menswear, or metaphorically by a woman wearing a shirtwaist blouse that resembled a man's shirt worn without a jacket.

 Martin has observed that in America, prior to increasing worker freedoms from the mid-late 19th century onwards, leisure had been a luxury available only to the leisured classes during the Industrial Revolution (c.1760-1860), and before that, Puritan America had condemned leisure for all. He cites the 1884 Georges Seurat painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte as an immobile, "static and stratified" depiction of leisure in "direct antithesis" of the relaxed, casual American equivalent. T.J. Clarke notes how La Grande Jatte illustrates people from the breadth of Paris society taking advantage of their free time by going to the riverside to show off new clothes, but that the act of removing one's jacket or otherwise loosening garments as a signifier of actually being at leisure was almost never done.

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sports clothing--2017/07/01

Sportswear is an American fashion term originally used to describe separates, but which, since the 1930s, has come to be applied to day and evening fashions of varying degrees of formality that demonstrate a specific relaxed approach to their design, while remaining appropriate for a wide range of social occasions. The term is not necessarily synonymous with activewear, clothing designed specifically for participants in sporting pursuits. Although sports clothing was available from European haute couture houses and "sporty" garments were increasingly worn as everyday or informal wear, the early American sportswear designers were associated with ready-to-wear manufacturers. While most fashions in America in the early 20th century were directly copied from, or influenced heavily by Paris, American sportswear became a home-grown exception to this rule. Sportswear was designed to be easy to look after, with accessible fastenings that enabled a modern emancipated woman to dress herself without a maid's assistance.

Definition

Sportswear has been called America's main contribution to the history of fashion design, developed to cater to the needs of the increasingly fast-paced lifestyle of American women. It started out as a fashion industry term describing informal and interchangeable separates (i.e., blouses, shirts, skirts and shorts), and in the 1920s became a popular word for relaxed, casual wear typically worn for spectator sports.Since the 1930s the term has been used to describe both day and evening fashions of varying degrees of formality that demonstrate this relaxed approach while remaining appropriate wear for many business or social occasions.

The curator Richard Martin put on an exhibition on sportswear in 1985 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in which he described sportswear as "an American invention, an American industry, and an American expression of style." For Martin, American sportswear was an expression of various predominantly middle-class aspects of American culture, including health ideals, the concept of democracy, ideas of comfort and function, and innovative design which might refer to historical concepts or leisure attributes. The establishment of a five-day working week and an eight-hour working day in America in the mid-20th century led to the need for clothing which enabled the fullest possible enjoyment of such increased leisure time, and was designed accordingly. A subsequent exhibition of 1930s-70s sportswear, also curated by Martin, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1998, was introduced by Philippe de Montebello as showing pioneering garments, whose modesty, comparative simplicity, and wearability treated fashion as a "pragmatic art."de Montebello carefully explained how significant American designers such as Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Charles James and Mainbocher, were not considered sportswear designers, as they were not dedicated to the design principles of versatility, accessibility and affordability in the way that Claire McCardell or Emily Wilkens were.

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Black Lycra Leggings--2017/06/30

In 1994, grunge clothing rapidly declined as fashion became more feminine and form-fitting. Young women in the UK and America wore tailored skirt and trouser suits, short skirts and dresses, baby doll dresses, animal prints, hot pants, slim pants, bright colors (even in colder months), long and short skirts, and high heels. High-shine fabrics, such as satin, metallics, sequins, microfiber, vinyl, and silk became very prominent on both clubwear and work wear. The most common look among young women that year was the short black slip dress worn over a tight, undersized white T-shirt. Loungewear generally consisted of black Lycra leggings, large T-shirts, oversized sweatshirts, and baggy sweaters while at home or relaxing during the weekends. A very popular look among young women and girls from 1994–1995 was the "sexy school girl" look. This trend consisted of tartan minikilts, undersized sweaters, short slip dresses, baby doll tees, knee highs, thigh highs, miniature backpacks, overalls, tights, pantyhose, and chunky shoes. The sexy school girl look was prominently portrayed in films with female leads such as Clueless, Empire Records, and The Craft.

Among women over 30, 1950s ladylike fashions made a comeback in the United States. This included pencil skirts, cardigans, girdles, petticoats, satin or lace Wonderbra lingerie, and fitted suits. Popular accessories that went hand-in-hand with this revival included brooches, white gloves, sheer stockings, diamonds, sequins, and red lipstick. For more casual occasions, women opted for lean capri pants, polka dot blouses, belted trench coats, 1940s style sandals, white canvas shoes, and leather jackets.

Popular shoes and accessories during the mid-1990s in Europe and North America included Loafers, Mary Janes, suede sneakers, mules, clogs, knee high boots, jelly shoes, Go-go boots, black court shoes, Keds, silver jewelry, dainty earrings and necklaces, conch shell necklaces, berets, straw hats, floppy hats, gold jewelry, and hipster belts. Navel piercings had started to gain popularity around this time.

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Sportswear Fashion--2017/06/29

While fitness is defined as the condition of being physically fit and healthy, and fashion is a form of imitation and so of social equalization, strictly correlated with the wish of appearing as a well-accepted member of contemporary society,fitness fashion is the result of a trend that consists in combining physical activities and health lifestyles with the interest and use of sportswear fashion.

The ritual (dress code)

There is a connection between sportswear and self-affirmation, that exists because of the care for fashion. The action of buying sportswear is led to the feel of being part of a community, assessing its rules and culture. People get involved in a process in which the major aim is to appear.

With regard to fitness fashion, the ritual is a ceremony which consists in the activities that take place in a fitness centre or in a gym and which are the acts of undressing, dressing, exercising, undressing, showering, grooming and dressing again.

The act of undressing, as much as that of dressing, places the individual in a delicate ceremonial position.

This ritual also implies a psychological dimension in which the individual is involved in a process of self-affirmation. What people want to wear is limited by a pre-existing, yet always evolving, ideal, which is the image of fashion itself. Changing rooms, usually situated in the most internal part of the gym, represent the connection between the outside world and the world of fitness, because

In the changing room, individuals must negotiate, both symbolically and practically, their entrance into the world of fitness training and their return to the outside world.

While the exercise places are usually filled with information such as posters and images of fit bodies, changing rooms are always unadorned, since they represent

A moment of concentration before switching into the fitness mood.

Also sportswear has become part of the ritual. Being fit is not just exercising and eating well but also wearing fashionable clothes and showing it also through social media. Clothing comfort is defined by Lauren Slater (1985) as a pleasant state of physiological, psychological and physical harmony between a human being and the environment.

Symbolic meanings

As a matter of fact, fitness fashion requires people to identify with a model. People start buying the same sportswear of the chosen icon they want to imitate, and then chose to act like him/her.

Sportswear is strictly correlated with fashion not only because of a trend, but also for the so-called social learning theory, which

hypothesizes that almost all behavioral and cognitive learning is a result of direct experiences that are acquired through vicariously observing behaviors and the subsequent repercussions of such actions.

It is also for this reason that Nike and other retailers specialized in sportswear are experiencing an increase in profits (Nike saw an increase of 8 million dollars capital in just three months, that is a 15% more than 2014’s revenue, when the soccer World Cup took place).

Athletic identity is a central dimension that influences social relationships, types of chosen activities, and perceptions of life experiences, allowing an individual to benefit from a salient sense of self. It is accepted that sports prepare individuals psychologically for daily life together with cultural activities.

In this view, fit people are sexier and happier than non-fit people, they are well-accepted from society as successful persons and in this way they are taken as models, influencing a large part of the social media audience. Since

clothing comfort is related to raising standards of life,

fitness fashion icons wear expensive and colorful sportswear (which represents the most visible part of the message, acting as the main instrument of the symbolic meaning delivering), and also show how happy and self-confident they are in it. Furthermore, fitness influencers are showing lifestyles that involve health-care and appearance-care as well, especially through social media.

Social Media

Even the most important sportswear companies are involved in social media campaigns, first of all Nike, that give the possibility to their Nike+ app users to share on Instagram their fitness achievements and progress. In fact, the app has been downloaded over 17 millions of times from all over the world users.

With media, women are exposed to the symbols, with the muted expectation of achieving such image.

Social learning theory suggests that females learn stereotypes and expectations through observing images through the media. Since social media are the most used instrument for information resources and connection among people, everyone can easily find a new inspiration through them. Every fitness influencer uses social media because of the direct contact with fans that the web offers. Sharing fitness goals and motivation is now a spread phenomenon that people begin to appreciate and concur. It follows that a simple photo on a social media becomes easily a form of advertisement, because who posted it wanted to promote his/her lifestyle, that is represented in a direct way from the sportswear he/she is wearing.

Gender

Female athletes and sports that adhere to the feminine ideal receive increased benefits, including positive media attention, fan adoration, sponsorships, and reduced heterosexist discrimination.

Women must present a body and appearance that conforms to heterosexist social norms.

On the other hand,

boys are taught that masculinity in sports is defined in terms of "toughness and dominance and to express disdain for females and any boy seen as weak or unwilling to take risks on or off the playing field".

Society and media emphasize athletic women's physical appearance and sexual attractiveness, through representing them as women first and athletes second. Thus, the feminine athletic ideal consists of an attractive appearance, thin body, and sexual appeal, which is conveyed also through clothing: women sportswear must fit snugly, but, most important must be sheath, exaggerating the female shape. In health/fitness magazines are included four stereotypes for masculinity: physical action, power, stance, and muscles. While for female it included three stereotypes: thin ideal, glistening/”wet” look, and feminine face. Thus, the health/fitness magazines tended to used the masculine and feminine ideals through stereotypes more than fashion magazines. Thus, who practice health-fitness tend to be less dressed or used close-fitting with the intention to emphasize the appeal.

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Short-Sleeve Polo Shirts--2017/06/28

Business casual is an ambiguously-defined dress code that has been adopted by many professional and white-collar workplaces in Western countries. It entails neat yet casual attire and is generally more casual than informal attire but more formal than casual or smart casual attire. Casual Fridays preceded widespread acceptance of business casual attire in many offices.

Definition

There is no generally agreed definition of "business casual". One definition of business casual states that it includes khaki pants, slacks, and skirts, as well as short-sleeved polo shirts and long-sleeved shirts, but excludes jeans, tennis shoes, tight or short skirts, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. Another source, an American university careers service, states that business casual consist of neutral colors more towards the dark shades of black, grey, navy, but can include white and off white, and reminds that the clothing should be pressed and have clean, crisp seams. The "Dress for Success" advice from the University of Toronto sums up business casual as "a classic, clean cut, and put together look where a full suit is not required", which means slacks, khakis, or skirts; blouses, polo shirts, or shirts with collar but no necktie; some sweaters; and closed-toe shoes. The Canadian university ends with the warning that "it is not clothing you would wear to a club or for athletic purposes.... Don’t let the word casual mislead you. You still need to look professional."

Another author wrote in the Financial Times that "Ordinarily business casual for guys seems fairly clear. It is a pair of chinos, a blazer and a good shirt, no tie." A BBC article suggested that a "safe global standard" consists of "a button down shirt," "jackets or blazers, khaki or gray slacks, and leather shoes." It warned, however, that great variation exists between countries and regions within countries. A U.S. menswear retailer advises men to wear a collared shirt, chinos, navy blazer, and brown shoes, while making sure to look "clean and well-groomed."

A contributor to Forbes asked her Facebook friends to define business casual, and found an apparent consensus on "For men: trousers/khakis and a shirt with a collar. For women: trousers/knee-length skirt and a blouse or shirt with a collar. No jeans. No athletic wear." A response to that was "I disagree. No khakis." She states that "there’s a lack of consensus in what actually defines a business casual wardrobe. All most people know is they don’t want to see too much of a colleague’s body, including feet."

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preppy striped polo shirts--2017/06/27

Beginning in March 2017, clothing inspired by 1990s Britpop, mod revival and early 1970s fashion became popular among young men in the UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy and France, especially in beige, cream, sand, orange, blue, brown, dark green, ecru, red, pistachio, and complementary neutral tones. Desirable items included suede cowboy boots and winklepickers, retro black and red sneakers, Chelsea boots with contrasting red and blue elastic, striped dress shirts, sailor T shirts with vertical navy blue stripes, navy and red track jackets, two button cream trenchcoats, six button polo shirts, natural suede chukka boots, sunflower print button-down shirts, white T shirts with orange and blue color blocks, turquoise dip dye swimshorts, military chic parkas, wool overcoats, navy blue straw trilby hats, short sleeved cardigans, red Doc Martens, houndstooth or Prince of Wales check sportcoats, pants with a contrasting red stripe, lightweight nautical inspired navy peacoats, embroidered silk souvenir jackets featuring birds, skulls, dragons or tigers, bomber jackets with orange linings, Converse modern sneakers in silver, red, royal blue, or green, muted Aloha shirts worn over plain T shirts, brown flying jackets, corduroy pants, beige anoraks, pale denim slim-fit jeans and chinos, checked button down shirts in pink, blue, orange, red, and white with oversized Cuban collars, cropped black high waisted pants, Henley shirts, grey T shirts, preppy striped polo shirts with wider collars, double strap combat boots, and psychedelic floral print shirts frequently worn tucked into the pants.

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Yoga Leggings--2017/06/26

Performance fabrics are fabrics engineered for a wide variety of uses where the performance of the fabric is the major parameter. Performance fabrics may be used in for all active wear, sports wear, summer and winter wear, mountain activities, trekking, work wear, in military, as well as urban wear and protective wear. Performance fabrics are meant for providing extra comfort and protection to the wearer under normal to extreme conditions.

The performance of the fabric/garment is enhanced or achieved by a number of processes like selection of fibers and blending of the performance fibers during spinning, knitting or weaving along with other yarns like cotton, viscose, bamboo, polyester, acrylic, nylon, and elastane and also by processing and finishing with chemicals (also known as functional finishes) during dyeing or at finishing stages by padding or coating and some of them also possible at the garment stage. Nanotechnology can provide high durability for Performance fabrics,because nano-particles have a large suface area-to -volume ratio and high surface energy,thus presenting better affinity for fabrics and leading to an increase in durability of the function.The potential of nanotechnology in the development of new materials in the textile industry is considerable. On the one hand, existing functionality can be improved using nanotechnology and on the other, it could make possible the manufacture of textiles with entirely new properties or the combination of different functions in one textile material

These fabrics are also known as value-added textiles. The high performance and cost-effectiveness of smart fabrics and interactive textiles have enabled them to replace traditional materials and become popular among many end-users.The author analysts forecast the global smart fabrics and interactive textiles market to grow at a CAGR of 20.18% by revenue during 2014–2019. These fabrics can perform extraordinarily different than their natural behavior or what they were meant for. For example, a polyester garment can absorb water like cotton and a cotton trouser can gain the ability to repel water (both of these characteristics differ from their original nature). Smart textiles are an advanced type of performance fabrics.

Usage

These fabrics may have dual or multi-functionality so they are primarily used to increase the fabric's versatility. Sporting apparel moving out of the sports wear context and into fashionable street wear, for example yoga leggings may be used as casual wear. Also, active-wear can also be used for the purpose of formal clothing or casual clothing, and one fabric may certify all the criterion used to judge a fabric's appeal—for example, style, feel, comfort, appearance, flexibility and utility.

High performance fabrics, (such as those which are both flexible and flame retardant) are being used in the armed forces, in firefighting forces, and in the welding industry. They are also used for making workwear for industrial purposes due to their stain repellancy.

Characteristics

Different performance fabrics have various characteristics. Some varieties of performance fabrics are capable of blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation, and they often have protection from ticks and mosquitoes, moisture wicking,Quick Dry, temperature control and antimicrobial and anti-odor properties. Performance fabrics may also possess pilling-resistance,Antistatic, wrinkle resistance, stain (water, dirt and oil) resistance,Self cleaning and flame retardation. In some cases, they can be resistant to wind, heat and abrasion.

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Plain White Buttoned Shirt--2017/06/24

Deception Bay State High School is a co-educational, state run high school located in Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia. The School services the Deception Bay area's high school students- years 7 to 12.

The school first opened its doors to students in 1992.

Today, there are approximately 1000 students enrolled in the school. The school principal is David Friis. The school motto is "We Care, We Learn, We Prosper". The school has four different sport team houses, Cawley, Bradman, Elliott and Gould. The school also has a soccer/futsal development program for those who have talent and are interested in the sport. The school now has different programs to suite different peoples need.

Uniform

The uniform is based on three colors: maroon, white and black. For girls, the uniform consists of a polo shirt with the school logo or a white blouse, with either maroon shorts, culottes, skirt or black pants. The boy's uniform consists of either the school polo shirt of a plain white buttoned shirt, with either maroon shorts or long black pants. The polo shirt, which is most favoured amongst students, has a maroon background with white striped on the bottom edges with a black collar which has the school's name written in white. The schools logo is printed on the left breast.

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Gym shorts--2017/06/23

Gym shorts are an article of clothing typically worn by people when exercising. They are typically made out of fabrics that allow for maximum comfort and ease, such as nylon. Brands such as Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and Reebok all make gym shorts. Cotton gym shorts were made popular by a cheerleading brand called Soffe. Gym shorts or sweatpants are required for many junior high and high school physical education courses.

While gym shorts were traditionally worn by men, from the late 1970s and onward, women began wearing them for better comfort at the gym as well as a modern fashion trend.

Changes from short to baggy

Up until the late 1980s, men's gym shorts were very short. Knee-length shorts were rarely seen outside of safari parks.

The first time today's "baggy" or "bermuda" look was publicized was when Michael Jordan wore baggy shorts in the Nike commercial with Spike Lee in 1988. Another basketball team who emphasized today's men modern style, who were inspired by Michael Jordan, was the Fab 5 Wolverines, who included Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, and Jalen Rose. After that, the look spread into other NBA and other sports. The look quickly expanded into mainstream American culture, and baggy shorts soon replaced upper-thigh shorts outside the sportsworld.

Even as the short shorts became scarce in the NBA, John Stockton of the Utah Jazz continued to wear them until his retirement in 2003. Also, during a hardwood classics night on December 31, 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers wore the short shorts against their 1980s rival, the Boston Celtics.

Today

Nowadays, gym shorts are worn by adolescents on a daily basis in the spring and summer months. While some boys prefer shorts that reach the calf, most wear shorts that stop at the knee or just above, propagating the style as fashion. The appeal of these knee length shorts as warm weather wear is diminishing as most adults find the added length of cloth restrictive and counterproductive in truly active or competitive sports. A modern example of this departure was evident during the 2012 Olympics when the USA men's volleyball team opted for the more athletic-friendly thigh length. The international volleyball federation (FIVB) now requires men's shorts to have an inseam of at most 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). Shorter cut gym shorts appear to be slowly returning to popularity for those that favor function over fashion.

Many gym shorts have an inlay made of a comfortable fabric such as cotton, similar to swim shorts. These are designed to be worn without underwear. The pre-1990s short shorts remain the standard for men in running activities. Originally, gym shorts were worn by boys and men along with a jockstrap only underneath. Schools across the country required boys to wear a jock, also known as an athletic supporter, for all PE/gym activities. This provided protection from testicle torsion, from squishing them between the thighs, and for modesty purposes. Nowadays, many boys and men wear boxers, boxer briefs, compression shorts, swim briefs or other standard underwear, although jockstraps are now making a comeback.

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Light Weight Casual Jacket--2017/06/22

A fleece jacket or fleece is a lightweight casual jacket made of polyester synthetic wool such as Polar Fleece. A fleece jacket will typically have a zipper up the middle, rather than buttons or other fasteners. A fleece will provide thermal insulation but is not normally weatherproof and so won't keep out wind and rain.

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Polo Shirts For Boys--2017/06/21

Madison Academy is a private, co-educational school located in Madison, Alabama. It serves students in preschool through 12th grade. (Preschool - Pre-1st are in "Little MA", while 1st - 12th attend school in the main MA building.) The school is affiliated with and endorsed by many area churches of Christ. It competes at the 3A level of athletics in the Alabama High School Athletic Association under the nickname "Mustangs".

Madison Academy has a current enrollment of 846 students.

Dress Code

Students of elementary and high school attending Madison Academy wear uniforms, so-called "Spirit Wear". Unlike most schools requiring uniform dress, MA has a fairly large selection of garments for both boys and girls, including pants, skirts, and shorts for girls and button-up or polo shirts for boys-. Each article of clothing is emblazoned with the MA logo, and most garments display at least one of the school colors. This uniform style began in the fall of 2002.

Children attending Little MA also have to wear "Spirit Wear."

Athletics

The Mustangs maintain quality athletic programs (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, golf, tennis, swimming, volleyball, cross country and cheerleading). In recent years, they have built a strong reputation for basketball, winning three consecutive state championships in the 3A division (2006, 2007, 2008). The Mustang baseball program won a state championship in 2009 and placed runner up in 2010. Over the last decade, the football program has posted numerous regional championships. The varsity football program posted a 12–1 record in 2009. This includes an undefeated regular season and regional championship. In 2011, the team advanced to the state championship, and was defeated by Handley High School, 20–14. They went 12–3 for the season, losing the first two games of the season, winning 12 consecutive games, and losing the state championship. The Mustangs won the football state championship in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Madison Academy became the first school in the history of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) to win football, basketball, and baseball in the same academic year.

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Hoodies--2017/06/20

In the UK, hoodies have been the subject of much criticism; some shoplifters have used the hood to conceal their identities from CCTV cameras in shopping centres. The hoodie became a popular clothing item by the 1990s. During the 21st century, it had gained a negative image, being associated with trouble making teens and anti-social behaviour. It became one of the later items associated with "chavs", or Neds.

Angela McRobbie, professor of communications at Goldsmiths College in the UK, says the appeal of the hoodie is because of its promise of anonymity, mystery and anxiety. "The point of origin is obviously black American hip-hop culture, now thoroughly mainstream and a key part of the global economy. Leisure and sportswear adopted for everyday wear suggests a distance from the world of office suit or school uniform. Rap culture celebrates defiance, as it narrates the experience of social exclusion. Musically and stylistically, it projects menace and danger as well as anger and rage. The hooded top is one in a long line of garments chosen by young people, usually boys, to which are ascribed meanings suggesting that they are 'up to no good'. In the past, such appropriation was usually restricted to membership of specific youth cultures - leather jackets, bondage trousers - but nowadays it is the norm among young people to flag up their music and cultural preferences in this way, hence the adoption of the hoodie by boys across the boundaries of age, ethnicity and class."

In May 2005, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent caused outrage by launching a code of conduct which bans its shoppers from sporting hoodies or baseball caps, although the garments remain on sale. John Prescott welcomed the move, stating that he had felt threatened by the presence of hooded teenagers at a motorway service station. Then-Prime Minister Tony Blair openly supported this stance and vowed to clamp down on the anti-social behaviour with which hoodie wearers are sometimes associated. London-based rapper Lady Sovereign published a single titled "Hoodie" in protest as part of a "Save the Hoodie" campaign.

In 2005, Coombeshead College in the south-west of England allowed the hoodie to become part of the boys' school uniform, but the hood could be put up only when it rained. The principal, Richard Haigh, stated that the move would help to calm some of what he called the "hysteria" surrounding the garment. The JCB Academy allows hoodies, but only a navy blue type sold in the school shop.

In February 2006, a 58-year-old teacher who was wearing a hooded top was asked to remove it when entering a Tesco store in Swindon. According to the teacher, she was wearing the hood because "my hair's a mess". The store did not have a hoodie policy. The shop apologized and said it was taking action to "make sure this doesn't happen again."

In July 2006, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, made a speech suggesting that the hoodie was worn more for defensive than offensive purposes. The speech was referred to as "hug a hoodie" by the Labour Party. Despite the controversy, the hoodie has been embraced by people from all backgrounds. Zara Phillips, a member of the British royal family, has included hoodies in her range of equestrian clothing at Musto. In recent years in England many older people have been seen wearing hoodies, particularly in cold weather.

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Tennis Shirts--2017/06/19

An upturned collar (or popped collar) is an otherwise flat, protruding collar of either a shirt, jacket, or coat that has been turned upward.

History

Origins

Before the early 20th century, most shirt collars were turned up in some manner. Men and women alike wore tall, stiff collars (as much as three inches tall), not unlike a taller version of a clerical collar, made either of starched linen, cotton, or lace. The writer H. G. Wells remarked in his 1902 book Kipps that these "made [the] neck quite sore and left a red mark under [the] ears." Between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, men's collars were often detachable from their shirts, connected only by two removable collar studs (one in front and one in back). Detachable collars were very stiff, and either stood straight up (as in a Hamilton collar) or were pressed over at an ironed-in, starched crease (as in a Fremont collar). After World War II, mass-production gradually phased out detachable collars from ordinary dress shirts. Occasionally, one can still find detachable collar formal shirts, designed to be worn with a tuxedo or evening dress.

Lapels on jackets and coats, which resemble (and derive from) a longer collar, were and are also occasionally worn turned up. The frock coat of the 18th and 19th century often had a solid lapel that was always turned up. Gradually, toward the mid-to-late 19th century, however, lapels became folded down and "pieced out," in the peak, notched, or shawl lapel that one sees to this day. Today, however, a jacket lapel's ability to be turned up helps to provide an extra modicum of warmth when weather is cold or windy.

Tennis shirts

With the advent of the tennis shirts, however, the upturned collar took on a whole new purpose. In 1929 René Lacoste, the French 7-time Grand Slam champion, decided that the stiff dress shirts and ties usually worn by tennis players were too cumbersome and uncomfortable for the tennis court. Instead, he designed a loosely-knit pique cotton shirt with an unstarched, flat protruding collar and a longer shirt-tail in back than in front. This came to be known as the tennis shirt. Lacoste's design called for a thick piqué collar that one would wear turned up in order to block the sun from one's neck. Thus, the tennis shirt's upturned collar was originally designed by the inventor of the tennis shirt, himself, for ease and comfort on the tennis court, aiding the player by helping to prevent sunburn.

Gradually, as tennis shirts became more popular and were produced more widely, their use transcended tennis and was adopted for golf, polo, other sports, and everyday life. As the tennis shirt entered the popular culture, wearers were less apt to turn up their collar to block the sun if not wearing the shirt during sport or outdoor activity. Thus, most people began to wear a tennis shirt without the collar turned up, or turning them up only when involved in sport. The professional golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is known for this practice today; as the golf shirt is a looser-fitting descendant of René Lacoste's tennis shirt, off the course Zoeller wears his golf shirt's collar turned down, whereas one often observes him with an upturned collar while he is playing.

Adoption as popular culture trend

Initial adoption as trend

In 1980, Lisa Birnbach published The Official Preppy Handbook, in which she extolled the "virtues of the upturned collar". According to Ms. Birnbach, rather than being a sports innovation, the upturned collar on a tennis shirt was simply a signal that the wearer is a "preppy". Despite this obviously tongue-in-cheek characterization, Ms. Birnbach did correctly identify that one was more likely to view an upturned collar on the beaches of Nantucket than one would in middle America.

The book was a bestselling sensation. As a result, many people outside of the "preppy" enclaves of New England began emulating the style espoused in and categorized by Ms. Birnbach. As such, ordinary people in middle America who would not otherwise have done so began to wear the collars of their tennis shirts turned up as a popular culture trend, but not because of the collar's utilitarian purpose of blocking the sun. During the 1980s, many celebrities wore upturned collars. Joan Jett often upturned the collar of her leather jacket, as did Tiffany. Nevertheless, this style ultimately seemed to pass out of popular culture fashion by the middle of the 1990s.

Resurgence as trend

In very recent years, however, the upturned collar has undergone a resurgence in popularity as a trend in the popular culture, particularly in the United States, where some people began to refer to it as a "popped collar". It also gained popularity as a trend in Europe (perhaps after football star Eric Cantona). Although the upturned collar no longer seems to be in vogue with the majority of European youth, older people still frequently wear upturned collars. Recently, certain Americans still perceive the upturned collar to be a "preppy" status symbol. This trend seems no longer to be limited to tennis shirts, as some people turn up the collars of shirts not designed to be worn that way.

Today, some Americans regard the trend as having worn out, and thus the wearer of an upturned collar can be the object of mockery and scorn. Still, others continue to turn up their collars as a popular culture fashion. This has been bolstered by publicity from retailers with a middle-class clientele, such as Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters (although Abercrombie & Fitch company styling requirements for the 2006 Holiday floorset officially said that their workers should not be turning their collars up).

The upturned collar fashion has remained relatively popular over the years and decades, by celebrities who occasionally and sometimes frequently wear their shirts this way. This includes celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, Sharon Stone, Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Diane Sawyer, Suze Orman, Wendie Malick, and Morgan Pressel (pictured above right) and also by models and supermodels, such as Aishwarya Rai.

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Stripy Polo Shirt--2017/06/17

Ivy League is a style of men's dress, popular during the late 1950s in the Northeastern United States, and said to have originated on college campuses, particularly those of the Ivy League. It was the predecessor to the preppy style of dress.

Ivy League clothing is derived from the casual attire worn by the British and American upper classes during the 1920s, for sporting pursuits such as golf, polo, sailing, rugby football, hunting, and tennis. Typical summer attire for this time included navy two button blazers with gold buttons, striped college blazers, Ascot ties, cable knit tank tops, Oxford shirts, Breton striped shirts, and wingtip shoes. For fall, trendsetters such as the Duke of Windsor combined the latest American fashions with traditional British country clothing such as brogue boots, Argyll socks and jumpers, and tweed cloth sportcoats, Irish walking hats and plus fours in houndstooth, herringbone, or the Prince of Wales check popularized by Edward VII of England.

During the mid to late 1950s, many young college guys adopted the Ivy League look due to its association with the upper classes at leisure. The clothing stores J. Press and Brooks Brothers represented perhaps the quintessential Ivy League dress manner, the former with two of its four locations found at Harvard and Yale universities (the Princeton branch closed in 1942). The Ivy League style was epitomized by the sack suit, which is defined as being a 3-to-2 (3 buttons with the top button "rolled" back to reveal only two usable buttons) blazer without darts and a single "hooked" vent. The pants were typically cuffed and without pleats. It was also characterized by the use of natural fabrics, shirts with button-down collars, and penny loafers. In suits, the Ivy League style was promoted by clothier Brooks Brothers and included natural shoulder single-breasted suit jackets. In 1957 and 1958, about 70% of all suits sold were in the "Ivy League" style.

Typical hairstyles included the crew cut, Harvard clip, and regular haircut, and common clothing accessories included cardigan sweaters, sweater vests, Nantucket reds, khaki chino pants, knitted ties, white Oxford shirts, Tootal or Brooks Brothers ties, Ascot neckties, tartan, grey tweed cloth or flannel sportcoats, and seersucker blazers in the South.

Mainstream popularity and decline

Mod band the Small Faces wearing Ivy League inspired Glen plaid sportcoats.

From the late 1950s until the mid 1960s, Ivy League clothing was considered desirable mainstream apparel for middle class adults in the US. In Britain during the mid and late 60s, the Mod subculture combined the latest Italian fashions with the attire worn by the heroes in contemporary American films such as Steve McQueen, James Dean or Paul Newman Particularly popular were the grey flannel, Tonic, or houndstooth suits, polo shirts, chino pants, Argyle socks, sweater vests, cardigan sweaters, basketweave loafers, Madras plaid, and narrow brimmed Irish walking hats and Trilbys. The style remained fashionable in America until it was supplanted by more casual everyday clothing influenced by the hippie counterculture during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Revival

An American style known as preppy is similar to Ivy League but intended for today's mainstream culture. Preppy style tends to be more colorful, especially in spring and summer, and incorporates more casual chic attire. It was first popularized in the early 1980s as a return to Ivy League styles after a decade of more modern trends, but today, preppy differs from historic Ivy League. Preppy fashion is influenced by traditional collegiate trends, rather than reproducing them exactly, and various clothing items can be considered preppy based on how they are worn or accented. During the 1990s and 2000s Polo Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, J. Crew and J. Press were large marketers of preppy clothing, modernised to accommodate new trends inspired by indie pop and urban fashion. Controversially, in a recently revised form, a version of this style is sometimes promoted and marketed as "American Trad" or simply "Trad," although there are marked differences between the two styles. Trad is considerably narrower in scope than the original Ivy League style.

By the 2010s, many American preps opted to dress in a more classic, tailored style closer to the original Ivy League look. Popular clothings include loafers, Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes, Aran sweaters, cardigans, Oxford shirts, Cricket pullovers, wingtips, stripy polo shirts, hats like the fedora, khaki or pastel colored Vineyard Vines, Nantucket Reds, white or bright pastel color socks worn with sneakers and Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes, colored jeans, baseball jackets, khaki cargo shorts, and tapered chinos. Blazers, especially those made from seersucker, had made a comeback as informal or smart casual wear by the mid 2010s, and the traditional two button style was updated with throwback styling inspired by The Great Gatsby.

In popular culture

During the 1950s, the wealthy and clean cut Squares, Rahs and Socs (Soc being short for social) with their Ivy League clothes were the rivals to the working class Greaser subculture. The conflict between the two groups features in Grease, The Outsiders, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and Cry-Baby. In a scene in The Godfather, set in 1946, Michael Corleone is derided as an unlikely assassin because he is a "college boy" who wears an "Ivy League suit." The style was parodied in Clark Gesner's musical The Ivy League Look.

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Red Jacket--2017/06/16

Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps is a British musical CGI animated television series that premiered on September 5, 2009, on PBS Kids in the United States. It is a continuation of the Angelina Ballerina television series from 2001–2006; both series are in turn based on the Angelina Ballerina series of children's books by Katharine Holabird, the author and Helen Craig, the illustrator. The Next Steps is different from the first TV series as it uses CGI animation. This series sees eight-year-old Angelina and her family move to the other side of Chipping Cheddar to attend a performing arts school called Camembert Academy. It features the debut of Ms. Mimi, Angelina's new teacher and new friends like Viki, Marco, Gracie, and A.Z., as well as her best friend Alice who joins Camembert Academy. It features songs with music by Mark Sayer-Wade and lyrics by Judy Rothman and footage from host Moira Quirk. Richard M. Sherman is the music director of the series.

Overview

Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps celebrates music and brings to life many forms of dance for Angelina including ballet, tap dancing, jazz, classical, and ethnic. As a ballerina, Angelina's life revolves around dancing, singing and performance, family, friendship, and following her dreams.

Characters

Angelina Jeanette Mouseling is the protagonist of the series. She is a feisty mouseling who still dreams to become a prima ballerina. She has grown up and moved to the other side of Chipping Cheddar with her family to attend a performing arts school, Camembert Academy. Her catchphrases are "Absolutely, positively!", "Really truly!", "Stupendous!", "Follow your dreams!", "Let's dance!", "Get up and dance!", "I'm Angelina Ballerina!", "Hoop-dee-doo!" and "Hooray!" She has a crush on Marco. She has purple eyes and pinkish-white fur, wears a pink tanktop leotard, pink tutu with a red rose on it, a pink ribbon in her hair, and pink ballet slippers. She is voiced by Charlotte Spencer.

· Alice Bridgette Nimbletoes is Angelina's best friend and an aspiring gymnast. She is optimistic, enthusiastic, and always up for a new adventure. Kind, innocent, and with a heart of gold, Alice is a bit forgetful, but she will try harder than everybody else. Her catchphrases are "It's the best fun ever!", "Follow your dreams!", "Let's dance!", "Get up and dance!", "Hoop-dee-doo!" and "Hooray!" She has light brown fur and green eyes. She wears a long-sleeved green top, a green skirt, green ballet slippers, and a green ribbon in her hair. She is voiced by Naomi McDonald.

· Marco Fernando Quesillo is a student from the exotic tropical country of Costa Mousa. He is one of Angelina's best friends Marco likes to play and hear music. Besides loving music, he is also wildly enthusiastic about sports, especially soccer. Marco has taught himself to play multiple instruments, and his favorite musical instrument is the conga drums. A helpful mouseling, Marco sometimes gets into jams due to Angelina's big ideas. He is also a great drummer. His catchphrase is "I just thought of a great rhythm!". It is possible he has a crush on Angelina. He has light brown fur with green eyes, wears a blue T-shirt, blue trousers, dark blue sneakers and a blue wristband around his right wrist. He is voiced by Jules de Jongh.

·  Gracie is often Angelina's French rival and friend who is meticulous and a tad self-absorbed, and has shown to be a teacher's pet in order to get Ms. Mimi's attentions. Like Angelina, Gracie loves being the star of the show but often uses those occasions to brag. Nonetheless, Angelina knows Gracie is a very kind-hearted friend, and the competition keeps Angelina on her toes. Her catchphrase is "I can do it perfectly!" She has orange fur. She wears a yellow long-sleeved top, a yellow skirt, a blue headband with a yellow flower on it, and blue ballet slippers. She is voiced by Jo Wyatt.

·  Viki is an exciting friend for Angelina at Camembert Academy. She loves ethnic and unusual forms of dance, and she will be the first to try anything new. She is an Irish music lover and a great bass player. Her catchphrase is "So amazing!" She has gray fur. She wears an orange dress, yellow leggings, orange and yellow stars in her hair, and yellow ballet slippers. She is voiced by Hilary Duff. AZ (AJ in the British version) is a hip-hop student. He knows about the latest culture phenomenon, such as the latest handshake, line dance and cheese du jour. His catchphrase is "A.Z. Mouse is in the house!" He wears a red hoodie, blue jeans, and sneakers. He is voiced by Justin Bieber.

· Ms. Mimi is the head teacher at Camembert Academy and is everyone's role model. She is modern, young, fun, warm, and caring. She adores little mouselings as much as they adore her, and loves to inspire them with her own vivid imagination. Her catchphrase is "Bravo, students! Marvelous music and dancing!" She wears a purple dress, purple leggings, green ballet slippers, and a green headband. She is voiced by Judith Mason.

· Mr. Maurice Mouseling is Angelina and Polly's father. He works as a reporter for the Mouseland Herald and keeps his finger on the pulse of the happenings in Chipping Cheddar. In the episode "Angelina and the Marcel Mouseau Mime Challenge", it is revealed that Mr. Mouseling was a drummer in a rock band. He wears glasses, a white shirt under a brown jacket, and blue trousers. He is voiced by James McAvoy.

· Mrs. Matilda Mouseling is Angelina and Polly's mother. Supportive yet firm, she provides the voice of reason the young starlet Angelina needs. In the episode Angelina's Fancy Tutu, it is revealed that she was once a ballerina. She wears a pink dress, white necklace, and reddish purple shoes. She is voiced by Emily Blunt. Polly Anne Mouseling is Angelina's younger sister. Polly is an eager Mouseling whenever Angelina takes the time to show her some of the basics of ballet. And when there are steps she can not copy, Polly is happy to make up her own, much to Angelina's dismay. Her catchphrase is "I love you, Angelina!" She wears a yellow and blue dress, yellow socks and red shoes. She is voiced by Leah Zabari.

· Mrs. Thimble is the store owner. She wears a pink dress with a bead in the collar and a white apron. She is voiced by Beverly Klein.

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Sports Bra--2017/06/15

A sports bra is a bra that provides support to female breasts during physical exercise. Sturdier than typical bras, they minimize breast movement, alleviate discomfort, and reduce potential damage to chest ligaments. Many women wear sports bras to reduce pain, and physical discomfort caused by breast movement during exercise. Some sports bras are designed to be worn as outerwear during exercise such as jogging.

History

The first commercially available sports bra was the "Free Swing Tennis Bra" introduced by Glamorise Foundations, Inc. in 1975. The first general exercise bra, initially called a "jockbra", was invented in 1977 by Lisa Lindahl and theater costume designer Polly Smith with the help of Smith's assistant, Hinda Schreiber. Lindahl's sister, Victoria Woodrow, complained about her bad experience exercising in ordinary bras, having experienced runaway straps, chafing and sore breasts. During the course of Lindahl and Smith's exploration for a better alternative, Lindahl's husband suggested that what they needed was a jockstrap for women's breasts. In the costume shop of Royall Tyler Theatre at the University of Vermont, Lindahl and Smith actually sewed two jockstraps together and nicknamed it a "jockbra". It was later renamed a "jogbra". One of their original Jogbras is bronzed and on display near the costume shop of the theatre. Two others are housed by the Smithsonian and another by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1990 Playtex purchased Jogbra from Lisa and her partners. This was followed by research by Christine Haycock, associate professor of surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She measured breast movement of women running on treadmills. Sought out by bra manufacturers for her expertise, she advocated wide bottom bands for extra support and firm straps that minimized breasts bounce. Renelle Braaten, a Montana hairdresser, struggled to contain her double-Ds while playing racquetball and volleyball. Unable to interest mainstream bra manufacturers, she collaborated with freelance apparel designer Heidi Fisk, and founded Enell Incorporated. After considerable lobbying, she persuaded Oprah Winfrey in 2001 to try her bra. This led to very positive reviews in O: The Oprah Magazine, a 2001 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and a huge surge in orders.

Design challenges

Sports bras can either encapsulate or compress breasts. Bras that encapsulate breasts have molded cups, while compression-type bras restrict movement by flattening the breasts. Encapsulation-type bras generally are more effective at reducing discomfort, but some women prefer compression designs.

The most common sports bra is basically designed like a tank top with the bottom half cut off. Other designs use gel and water pads, silver fibres, and air bags. A stitchless bra was made by Wacoal, was molded, compressed, and shaped. A compressed bra is designed to push the breasts against the chest to reduce movement and bounce. Other bras are knitted in circular patterns, giving varying stretch and support. A common design uses a stretchable, absorbent fabric such as Lycra designed to reduce irritation by drawing perspiration away from the skin.

Sports bras are also worn by women after certain surgical procedures. In those situations, a front-closing sports bra with a compression, seamless cup is recommended for healing and comfort. Certain fabrics such as Lycra have been found to help reduce swelling and help "even-out" a bustline that has been altered by a surgical procedure.

Sports bras are also manufactured for men with large breasts to enable them to take part more comfortably in physical activity. Some descriptions used euphemistically to describe bras for men are chest binders, compression vests or shimmels. Another problem arises from the shoulder straps of standard bras. Standard well-fitting bras are constructed in the form of a "square frame", with all dimensions adjusted for each woman in a normal standing position, with arms to the sides. When a woman performs an activity which requires her to lift her arms above the shoulders, the frame is strained because it is anchored by the chest band, putting direct pressure on the shoulder trapezius muscles. This may result in neck and shoulder pain, numbness and tingling in the arm and headaches. To avoid such problems the bra's shoulder straps are usually crossed at the back, or the bra is worn halter-style.