Like everyone else who occasionally wastes time (I mean, does research) on YouTube, I’m crazy about Paducah, Ky.-based fashion guru William Sledd. Here’s why: he’s adorable, he’s snarky without being nasty, and he understands fashion as it relates to the mall-going majority. That, and just by posting his opinions as regular YouTube video logs (Ask A Gay Man), he’s created a grassroots fan base that now extends to major media (he appeared on last night’s edition of i-Caught).
Watching Sledd basically just being himself and dispensing his fashion advice (he starts with his catchy “Hey Bitches!” greeting), I got to wondering, who’s Asheville’s underground style guru? Since this town is less about mall trends and more about indie designers and recycled creations, GAP employee Sledd might look askance. But surely there’s a local expert with plenty of attitude ready to answer such important questions as:
• Can flip-flops and dress clothes ever mix?
• Are raw seams still in?
• Crocs: brilliant invention or style scourge?
If you or someone you know wants to sound off on local fashion, tell us.
— Alli Marshall, fashion editor
Alli, it’s Crocs. Crocks would be something your Mama cooked beef stew in.
I don’t own a pair of Crocs, but I think they are the greatest kids’ shoe ever invented: easy to put on and take off, can be washed in the kitchen sink, comfy, waterproof, and tough.
Crocs on adults are the equivalent of sweat pants. They say “I have nothing to offer the world, but at least I’m comfortable.”
alli, i am your underground style guru, and i will tell you that Crocs are a crock, from a style standpoint. they’re the ugliest foot wear i’ve seen since those beige orthopedic shoes were invented.
but i can’t answer everything. and i want to know:
-have we gone too far with the “peasant blouse” thing?
-what are those giant “ear discs,” or whatever they’re called, and when were they ever in fashion outside specific tribal groups?
-what’s the official start date for local women to start growing out their underarm hair again once summer is over?
I don’t know about Ash’s style cred, but he’s right about the Crocs, and his questions are all germane.
Ash,
The old Southern style rule is no white shoes after Labor Day, and my personal addendum is no pit hair before.
So I think we all should toss the razors on Labor Day.
I’m not sure about the peasant blouse. I’m in the post-maternity stage of life where I do not EVER want to be mistaken as preggers, but I have the post-baby bulge to cover. So the perfect peasant blouse is one that doesn’t make me look like I’m hiding the mailman’s spawn but does disguise my beer belly.
I don’t understand the ear disc thing, but I wonder if it’s the step before lip discs and neck-extending rings. As for peasant blouses, I’m so glad we’ve moved past belly tees that if I have to look at Stevie Nicks-inspired blouses for a couple more seasons, I’m fine. Just please don’t make me look at another navel piercing!
I think Asheville is unique in that there doesn’t seem to be any ONE dominating standard for fashion. Unlike other cities I’ve lived in the Louis Vuitton bag is not a mandatory accessory. However, I do think the whole maternity look is a little played out. Babydoll shirts are cute, but they are most fitting for babies, dolls, and the expectant ladies. Crocs are just plain silly unless you’re in elementary school. They remind me of jelly shoes on steroids.
I don’t think a fashion guru like Sledd would make many friends here, but it would be funny to see his take on the local style melting pot.
I’m not a big fan of these things. They seem like the shoe equivalent of the styrofoam cup – I can just imagine humans 10,000 years from now finding billions of these things while excavating for a new 2,000 story high-rise. Oh, shoot, there aren’t going to be any humans around in 10,000 years!
Besides, I’ve seen many a small child bite the dirt b/c of these ill fitting “shoes”
people, people, people. take it from a metrosexual with 38 pairs of shoes [and counting] –I am THE fashion guru. FIRST: there are NO rules for fashion any more. whatever works best for you is the rule to replace all rules.
SECOND: own your style –whatever that style is.
THIRD: be audacious, provocative, irreverent.
L[e]AST: only gay guys and assorted celebrity brats get away with calling friends&fans;bitches. oh well!
until next time, ‘bitches’ …
[yeah, see, it doesnt really work for me]
–the Judge
A note about the pit hair: Never shave use a beard trimmer. Let the leg hair grow long from fall to spring then shave. Ethan (age 10) says: Seed in the spring, blossom in the fall, devastation in the winter. I like my crocs but they are made by republicans. I am a pure democrat. And I don’t fall down in my crocs.