Aries Magazine December 2013 / January 2014 Issue | Page 90

thefashionmantra.com

Ask Kade
Arie’s fashion director Kade Smith
fixes your fashion problems and
share his new obsessions.

Q: I am always afraid to
wash my jeans. I want them
to look the way they did
when I bought them. How
can I keep them that way?

So I bought army
pants and flip flops

—Tanner W.
A: Without a picture of you this may be
difficult, but I will do my best to help you out. If you are
Jersey Shore tan, then I am going to recommend black,
white, olive green, and a deep purple. These would be my top
choices, but it’s never a bad thing to try something different.
Be bold with a burgundy polo. A great thing to try might be
a camo shirt. I know what you’re thinking, “Camo? Really?
Isn’t that a little 2004 a la Mean Girls?” In a way, yes it is,
but camo is making a big comeback this year. Green is the
color of the winter season, and I think this may be your best
bet. Layer a white V-neck with a dark green leather jacket.
Your tan skin will pop without being overbearing.

—Eric B.
A: There are a few
techniques for keeping
raw and selvedge
denim looking brand
new. My favorite way
is to put them in the
freezer next to some
baking soda. The cold
helps to kill any odors
and the baking soda
makes sure that none
of the food odors end
up in the clothes. Just
leave the jeans in the
freezer, rolled up like a
sleeping bag, overnight.
Let them roll out and
enjoy them for the next
couple of weeks before
you’ll have to repeat this process. You can also
try washing them in the bathtub without any
soap. Let them soak and take a washcloth to any
stains you want to get out. Just make sure that
you lay them out to dry, because a dryer will
kill that new denim look. I have a great pair of
G-Star jeans that I have yet to wash. It’s been
almost a year using these techniques and they
look just as good as the day I bought them.
DEC 2013 & JAN 2014

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ARIES

89

Q: I am a very tan
person, Jersey
Shore tan. What
colors look good on
me?

Q: What is a good man bag to have? I
can never find the right one.

—Eric B.

A: The trend for this winter is going to be backpacks. New
York Fashion Week saw just about anybody who was a somebody with a backpack. Keep in mind that I’m not talking about
your typical East-sport backpack from Walmart. Try to incorporate something that looks different and expensive. (Zara has
some stunning ones!) Leather details are something that you
can never go wrong with. My personal favorite is a Herschel
Supply Co. bag. It has leather details, but also a “cool schoolboy” look going for it. The pockets galore is another selling
point for me. Function meets fashion. If a backpack isn’t your
style, another trend that you can look at is black leather. It may
be trendy right now, but black is always in style. That means
you won’t have to feel bad if you buy something a little over
the top. You can use it for years to come.
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ARIES

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DEC 2013 & JAN 2014