How To's

The 100% Cotton Nightmare

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download (1)Cotton is comfortable, breathable, natural….and it shrinks. We all know the horror of buying the perfect cotton tee only to have it fit like a child’s shirt after the first wash. Here’s how to avoid the nightmare that is 100% cotton:

1. Avoid heat and warm water.
Heat is the main cause of shrinking in cotton. Most people use hot water to knock-out stains or odor but we must not let the entire garment suffer for one spot. Instead, use soap and cold water. This should get most of it out as long as its not too far gone. If you’ve used warm water to wash the gament even once, it might be too late.

2. Use a slow and delicate cycle.
A gentle cycle will prevent the cotton fibers from breaking, therefore; ensuring that the garment lasts as long as possible in its current state.

3. Avoid the dryer.
A hot dryer will shrink any cotton shirt that is not already pre-shrunk. Lying the garment on a clean, flat surface will allow it to dry on its own. For fast drying, place a fan next to a hanging garment and allow the cool air to blow it dry.

The ultimate question is: Can you reverse your already shrunken shirt? And I hate to tell you the answer is no. It is important to look at labels when you are shopping for clothes because finding a preshrunk shirt can save you a lot of time and heartache.

The only alternative we have to keeping your stuff looking fresh and prevent the shrinking other than the topics above is dry-cleaning. That and never washing your clothes!

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Brand Knowledge, How To's

Vans Shoes Fit Guide – Finding the Perfect Size

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Vans has been in the business of making sweet shoes for years. If you are looking to invest in your first pair of vans shoes, this helpful guide will aim to help find the perfect fit pair of Vans for you.

BrannockDevice__56388_zoomVans shoes claim to run “true to size.” What does this mean? Vans are sized according to the US standard which is determined on a Brannock device. This means that the shoes don’t fit smaller or larger than a standard shoe. So the best way to choose your vans shoe would be either get your shoe size measured or alternatively if you usually buy size 9 in most shoe brands, then a Vans 9 would fit the same.

In addition, all Vans Classic shoes come in men’s sizing and women’s sizing (regardless if the style seems to be women’s style with a bunch of sparkles and pink ribbons on it). Basically, the company does not gender bias its customers. If you are a dude and enjoy plenty of glitter and ribbons on your shoe– that is your business. And if you are the chica that wants to roll with the chunkiest skate shoe in the industry. Well, have a blast! This is why on our site you will see all vans shoes listed with the mens size and the women’s size equivalent.

 

Sizes displayed on our site depicting both the mens and womens sizing equivalents.

Sizes displayed on our site depicting both the mens and womens sizing equivalents.

 

In some cases it is also important to know the conversion between US, UK, and Mexico and European sizes. Here is a nifty size conversion chart direct from vans that may be helpful for our friends outside the USA. The first column displays the US Size.

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Other Useful Information:

Some Vans styles can waver a bit from true-to-size. For instance, Slip-ons fit tighter at first but will loosen out with wear. In addition, high performance skate shoes tend to fit snugly. It could also help to know that all Vans shoes are manufactured in medium width so if width has been an issue in the past, it could benefit you to order a half size up to make up for the difference.

Sometimes we find our feet falling between two sizes. One of the easiest ways to fix this issue is with a pair of insoles. Say you go to try on a pair of Van’s slip-ons but it turns out that an 8.5 is too small and a 9 is too big. Instead of throwing in the towel and settling for a less awesome pair of shoes, buy the 9s and an inexpensive pair of superfeet deluxe insoles to make up for the space.

Happy shopping!

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Brand Knowledge, How To's

Converse Size Conversion Guide – From UK, EUR, CM, USA

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This article hopes to help you convert your Converse shoe size between the many different measurements used for shoes. Hopefully this short guide will help you choose the right size for your upcoming converse shoe purchase.

converse2First off, I pulled one pair of shoes from our massive warehouse so you can take a look at the sizing guide written on the outside of the shoe box. You will notice that the shoe size and conversion is actually indicated on the shoe box. Directly below the USA size the UK, EUR, and CM measurements are indicated.

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In addition, if you look at the inside tongue of the shoe, the same size conversion will also be indicated. In case you already own a pair and need to simply purchase a new pair– simply reference the markings on your existing pair to make your purchase seamless.

For those of you that do not already own a pair please refer to the sizing chart shown below. Please note that this size chart only applies to the classic chuck taylor style which is any of the converse shoes that follows this silhouette for the low top version and this silhouette for the high top version. The size chart does NOT apply to any other version of the shoe including: jack purcell, slip-on, skate line, etc…  For the best fit we also recommend that you try on a pair at your local store. However if this is not an option, this chart provides the same information indicated on all of the shoe boxes.

 Converse size conversion chart between US, UK, EUR, CM,

US Men’s Size UK Size US Women’s Size European Size Centimeter
3 3 5 35 22
3.5 3.5 5.5 36 22.5
4 4 6 36.5 23
4.5 4.5 6.5 37 23.5
5 5 7 37.5 24
5.5 5.5 7.5 38 24.5
6 6 8 39 25
6.5 6.5 8.5 39.5 25.5
7 7 9 40 26
7.5 7.5 9.5 41 26.5
8 8 10 41.5 27
8.5 8.5 10.5 42 27.5
9 9 11 42.5 28
9.5 9.5 11.5 43 28.5
10 10 12 44 29
10.5 10.5 12.5 44.5 29.5
11 11 13 45 30
11.5 11.5 13.5 46 31.5
12 12 14 46.5 32
13 13 15 47.5 33
14 14 16 48.5 34
15 15 17 49.5 35
16 16 18 50.5 36

One thing you may notice is that the US and the UK version of the sizes are the same.  For all US Shoe buyers we recommend that you read our blog post on Getting the Right Size. This article provides additional vital information for US converse buyers.

Brand Knowledge, Trends

Back to Basics for Imaginary Foundation

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The past two years have been blasted with a lot of color for some of the older fans of Imaginary Foundation. Imaginary’s focus has been on their sublimation tees for the majority of 2013 and 2014. The prints were mind blowing and saturated in color. They provided Nick Philip with a bit more freedom for his art on tees.

However, in the past season or two we have seen a transition back to the basics of Imaginary foundation’s original focus, printed artwork on the traditional cotton tee. For some of the older fans of the brand this is a positive transition back to the original fit and color balance. Although the sublimation tees were fun, there was a struggle for me to pull off the crazy color schemes. Not to mention pulling focus off anything other than your t-shirt. I am glad to see this new seasons releases with some more simplistic designs. Below are a few good ones from the recent drop.

 

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Mens Horizon T-Shirt

 

 

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Mens Cosmological T-Shirt

 

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Mens Space X T-Shirt

I am celebrating the ‘bringing back’ of the traditional cotton tee back to the line. Even so, the sublimation tees are still in production. So if you liked the newer stuff there is still more to come. However the volume has been slightly turned down. Enjoy the old skool vibe back in the Imaginary kingdom.

Brand Knowledge, How To's

Rock Revival Style Guide for Women

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This post is intended to give you all the ins and outs of Rock Revival jeans, and if you live on the west coast, then you’ll definitly be craving some In-n-Out after you read this! First thing you’ll need to know is that there are three types of jeans that Rock Revival has to offer: Boot Cut, Skinny, and Straight.

Boot Cut

Lina: These jeans are made of 98% cotton and 2% elastane to give you premium comfort. All 5 pockets contain contrast stitching. Back pockets and coin pocket are embroidered for supreme detail.

Stephanie: This style of jean is a little different than most other Rock Revivals. These are made of 89% cotton and 11% elastane…so basically you’ll be able to do yoga in them! Front and back flap pockets have some crazy contract stitching, as well as embellishments.

Skinny

Brooke: All five pockets have contrast stitching, and coin and back pockets embellishments. Also, the back pockets have flaps to keep yo booty nice and secure. Made of 98% cotton and 2% elastane, so you’ll actually be able to get them on!

Mattie: These jeans are made of 98% cotton and 2% polyurethane. The five pockets will allow you to put all kinds of stuff in it: wallet, money, tater-tots, etc. They have traditional back pockets that include the signature Rock Revival contrast stitching.

Straight

Pavo: These jeans are a little different than most Rock Revivals. They have 5 pockets including flap pockets on the back. What makes these so different is the stitching. Instead of the white/grey stitching that is used on many of there other styles they use a brownish stitching to give it a unique look.

If you haven’t yet gotten a pair of Rock Revival jeans you NEED to!!!!

Brand Knowledge, How To's

Rock Revival Men’s Fit Guide

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For Rock Revival jeans you’re pretty much going to have the option of choosing between Staight leg fit and a Bootcut fit. However, you’re going to have a ton of different options for each type of fit.

Boot Cut Fit

Murcia: This style has 5 pockets and is a zip fly, so if you need to use the bathroom it’s not gonna take you a year to button your pants back up. Contains embroidery on all pockets. Made of a combination of mostly cotton and a little touch of polyurethane, to give it the slightest bit of stretchiness. If you’re looking for a darker washed pair of jeans, then these bad boys are just for you!

Rogan: These Medium washed jeans have 5 pockets and a zip fly. They’re also made of 100% cotton, so if you don’t like your jeans to be stretchy then you’ll love these. They also contain pre-marked abrasions to give them a “worn in” feel.

Tristan: These jeans are very similar to the Rogan’s, but aren’t gonna come with holes in ‘em! With 5 pockets and a zip fly these surely will make you look hip and fly! These guys are also made of 100% cotton, and what’s more American than cotton?

Straight Leg Fit

Argon: These jeans are completely black and completely cool! They have the signature Rock Revival design on all the pockets, but due to the black stitching it makes it harder to see. They’re great if you’re not into that whole flashy pants kinda thing. These puppies are made of cotton with a smidgen of elastane, so you won’t feel too restricted.

Melby: These puppies are a spin-off of the Argon’s. They have the black stitching, but they come in different colored washes unlike the all black Argons.

Evan: These jeans display single stitching on the front and back pockets. They have the signature Rock Revival design on the pockets, but it doesn’t look like you’re trying to get people to look at your butt. Made of 98% cotton and 2% elastane to keep you nice and comfy!

 

 

For first time buyers of Rock Revival jeans make sure to know that they typically run big. I wear a size 32 in just about every pants I own, but with Rock Revival I wear a size 31. Rock Revival jeans tend to be a little more stretchy than other pairs of jeans, so make sure to go down a size if you’re buying these online for your first time.

Brand Knowledge

Rock Revival Men’s Jeans

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Rock Revival prides itself in producing jeans with an impeccable fit, while having premium quality denim. This company has been in business for 10 years and is based out of Los Angeles. These jeans are set far ahead of the pack because of their details such as flowing stitch lines, back pocket reverse fleur de lis (I don’t even know what this means, but it sounds legittt) and hardware which create a unique blend of rocker aesthetic. If you haven’t purchased a pair of these puppies before just know that they tend to run a little big. I’m a size 32, but in Rock Revival jeans I’ll get a pair of 30s. Below you’ll see favs from each style of jeans.

BOOT CUT

This here is the Tristan boot cut jeans. These jeans are awesome if you’re looking for a darker wash pair of pants. Best part is black goes well with almost everything.

The Dan boot cut jean is perfect if you’re looking for a medium colored wash. These jeans are great because they have a nice dark blue wash, but then fade to a lighter blue right at the knees.

Lastly, the Rogan boot cut jeans bring a faded blue wash to the table. Perfect if you’re looking for something not too dark and not too light.

STRAIGHT

The Erkal jeans are easily my favorite out of Rock Revival jeans. The mixture of the unique wash and the straight leg combine to form in my opinion the best pair of jeans.

Girls will definitly be staring at your butt in these bad boys!!!

The Argon jeans also rank up there with the Erkal jeans in my opinion. These are a bit more classy than other Rock Revival’s since the colors don’t fade at the knees. They also don’t have any flashy stitching on the back pockets.

 

If you want to unleash your true rock…and your roll, then you need to pick up a pair of these jeans!

How To's

How to Rock TOMS SHOES

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Do you love Toms Shoes, but have no idea what to wear them with??? Prepare to be enlightened you social activist you! This guide is meant to help both males and females rock some activist shoes. If you weren’t aware already, for every pair of Toms Shoes you purchase the company gives a pair of shoes to someone in need. So, not only do you get a fresh pair of kicks, but someone who actually needs shoes gets a pair too!

For the LADIES:  Toms Shoes are super easy to wear. Treat ‘em just like you would with any other flats. Make sure you match though, red and orange will never be a thing. Cuffing your pants with these shoes will always look good, but isn’t a must. Just make sure your pants aren’t too long and touch the ground.

If you wear Toms, then you’re guaranteed to have paparazzi follow you everywhere you go ;)


For the GUYS: Let’s be honest, Toms are hard to pull off if you’re a guy. My best advice would be to wear them with shorts that don’t reach the knee or slim fit pants. If you’re going to wear them with pants make sure you can see your ankles, though.

(^not a purse)

This goes to both guys and gals: DO NOT WEAR SOCKS WITH TOMS SHOES!!! (well actually you can wear socks, but they have to be no-show socks)

Brand Knowledge

New at Dress Code: Oddsox

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Are you tired of wearing your shoes with plain old white socks with a Nike swoosh at the top? Tired of wearing what everyone else is wearing??? If you’re like me and want to spice up your sock game, then take a gander at Oddsox. They have just the right amount of fun packed into your socks that will have everyone commenting on your sock game.

Look Like A Man, Man!

Not only are these socks fresh as heck…they’re also comfy as heck.

Plus, your little piglets will feel like they’re in the clouds with these socks!

…and who wouldn’t want a hot girl spilling ice cream all over her bod on their socks?

If you get these socks you’ll probably end up with a cute gf!!!

How To's

Style Guide: Sperry TopSiders

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Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a sailor you should consider gettin’ yourself a pair of hip Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes. These shoes will give you some much needed grandpa swagger, but only if you wear them right!

Rule #1: NO SOCKS! Simple as that. Anyone who’s actually sailed the seven seas will tell you the same thing.

Rule #2: While wearing Sperry’s with shorts it’s imperative you keep the shorts short!!! If they touch your knee or go past your knee, then reconsider your shorts. You also might want to reconsider your entire wardrobe if you wear shorts past the knee.

I bet that lemonade tastes reeeaaal good.

^he swears it’s a sachel, but we all know it’s a just a purse…

Rule #3: If you’re wearing Sperry’s with long pants, then cuff ‘em. Your ankles should be showing! If you were actually sailing the seven seas you wouldn’t want your pants to get all wet. Ask Popeye he’ll tell ya how it is!