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Contents
Gift
Guide 2
clothing
guide
Scene
Stealers
It
Girls
4th-Grade
Somethings
Little
Women
Action
Jacksons
Shredding
Bettys
Boys
to Men
Edge
of 17
Dads
Who Dig
Hip
Mamas
Gift
Guide 1
$35 and
up
Fun
and Games
Literary License
Windows Shopping
Kitchen Aid
Get Out
Gremlin-Free Gizmos
Discmen
Skintillating
Eat, Drink and
Be Merry
Gifts That Keep On Giving
Child's Play
Well-Furnished
Gimcracks and Geegaws
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boys
to men
BY ELIZABETH
DYE
Give it up for teenage boys. Although recent press might have
the world believe that adolescent males would rather shoot
up a school than go shopping, these gents prove that most
guys occupy a comfortable middle ground--clothes aren't their
first priority, but looks count. Boy style aims for the fundamentals--comfort,
fit and versatility, with a concrete commitment to casual.
Within those requirements, distinctive tastes call out.
"A lot of people tell me I look like their grandpa," jokes
John Michael Hollifield, who scouts secondhand polyester
shirts and sweater vests, prowling the vintage-store aisles
in classic Converse low-tops. Troy Carter says he's "a T-shirt
and jeans kind of guy," but they have to be the right T-shirt
and jeans. "Only loose fit is acceptable, and a belt is
a good thing."
Jason Martin favors simple fleece pullovers and sweaters.
Big-ticket winners with this crowd include leather coats,
khaki cargo pants, and those ubiquitous Doc Martens ("they're
the coolest"). These fellows' fashion don'ts? "No spandex,"
all agree. "And no black trench coats."
the
goods:
ready to tear
The fantasy: You slink onto the field swaddled in shiny
warmups. The opposition casts a smoldering appraisal in your
direction, then looks away, deciding you're nothing special.
You bend to knot a lace, straighten a sock--there's no hurry.
Then, with a single sweep, you shed your Nike Constructed
Tear-Away Pants and show them what you're really going
to run with. You spent the summer sprinting stairs and doing
leg presses, and now everybody knows it. $45-$55 depending
on material, at Niketown, 930 SW 6th Ave., 221-6453.
get
hitched
Let's face the cruel truth. The pants-around-the-knee-zone
look is the rat tail of the '90s--bad idea with a bitter
backlash. Spearhead a tri-county Trouser Pull with this
English leather Newbury belt in black or dark brown.
Together we can restore fashion dignity to the new millennium
by making your underwear nobody's business but your own.
$35 at J. Crew, 700 SW 5th Ave., 228-2739.
kick
it
It's like remembering where you were when Kurt Cobain
made his Hemingway exit. You can't forget your first pair
of Doc Martens and the expression your dad made when he
saw them. But now the once avant-garde clodhoppers have
crossed over to the mainstream and pass muster with even
the most prune-faced hall monitors. Challenge your elders
with something tougher--something steel-toed. The Getta
Grip 20-Eyelet is also made in England and built to
last, but it has a more refined look than the traditional
Doc. $160 at Johnny Sole, 801 SW Alder St.,
225-1241.
well
preserved
Haven't you heard? There's never been a better time to boogie-oogie-oogie
in unstoppable all-synthetic threads. The retro '70s thing
shows no signs of expiring, so shine on, you crazy diamond.
Disco's not your bag? Consider the thrift aspect: Besides
being plentiful and affordable, polyester button-downs
are resistant to just about everything. You know your clothes
are slick when liquid beads up on them. (Above is one example
of the large selection stocked at Magpie.) $18-$25 at Magpie,
520 SW 9th Ave., 220-0920.
pantasy
Believe in the power of clothes to transform physique
and attract love? Believe that the ability to lift up your
shirt and bite its hem is only a matter of attitude? Believe
that your future will consist of nothing but impromptu rugby
matches and snow-wrestling with your diabolically attractive
10 best friends, if only you had the right wardrobe? Find
your A&F fantasy in Crippled River Cargo Pants.
The name alone sounds like it could be a subhead for a romance
novel. $59.50 at Abercrombie & Fitch, 625 SW Broadway,
248-4456; Washington Square, 624-6338.
courtside
couture
Nothing special about this top, you say? Just another boring
fleece shirt? Perhaps, but you've got to give Nike credit
for sticking with subtle design once in a while. This hooded
pullover is part of the Nike Basketball line, which
knows its focus: shoes. The clothes are mere sidelines to
the main event. $60 at Niketown and other sporting goods
stores. Also shown: long-sleeve Nike Basketball T-shirt:
$22.
sneaker
wars
It's your bad if you're busted on the playground wearing
shoes endorsed by a retired NBA player--a retired Chicago
NBA player Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned. Time to retool--especially
now that a certain star transplant has come to town. Get
fresh and local in glove-leather Air Pippen III thrill-rides;
Nike asserts itself with a stretch inner sleeve and reflective
tail-lights. These sneaks may prove hard to come by in time
for Christmas, but Air Wheresyagame and Air Team
Unified, shown here, step up to stand in. $125, $85
and $75 respectively at Niketown and sporting-shoe stores.
also consider:
tread lightly
A few things transcend the vicissitudes of fashion. The
crisp white shirt. The little black dress. Converse Chuck
Taylor low-top sneakers. These canvas athletic shoes
(the first to be sponsored by a pro athlete) have, in the
last four decades, seen skateboards and boardrooms, classrooms
and class reunions. They come in more colors than Dennis
Rodman's eye-shadow, and the price is right. You probably
have on a pair right now. $28 at Foot Locker, various locations.
drakkar
noir not included
Urban living is as easy as G-A-P in the store's smooth,
slightly Euro black leather jacket, with adjustable
side tabs and quilted polyester lining. Classic, yet edgy.
Sophisticated, yet approachable. Don't want to smell like
a new car? Well, that's what cologne is for. $198 at the
Gap, various locations.
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