Taking the Easy Way Out

"Easy Accessories":

A reminder that just because something is easy, that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. 

Maybe It's Just Me...

It's certainly possible that it's just me. . . but isn't this an awkward pose?  (I think it was half of a two-page spread, but still. . . )

The proximity of crotch to face here. . . It's just strange.   (Especially with the model's expression taken into consideration.)

Don't have anything bad to say about the sweater, though.

Amazing

This crochet coat is probably not the easiest thing to make.  All those colors and patterns.  It certainly looks complicated.  Lots of counting involved, I'd imagine.  Reading detailed charts, maybe. 

And yet. . . After all that toil and trouble, you end up looking like you wandered off the set of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat:

. . . Which, strangely, is probably not a look that most of us want.

Cosmetic Flaws

High fashion. . .  I just don't get it.

Even when the clothes themselves look like something someone living in on Earth as we know it might conceivably be interested in wearing (to any event other than a costume party), they have to do something crazy with the model's hair, accessories, or-- as in this case-- makeup.

Most of us try to avoid the unibrow (a.k.a. monobrow) look, but if you should decide to go the other direction, today's models can serve as inspiration:

 This seems like another example of trying to distract the eye from the knitting.

"Do NOT look at the knitwear.  Look anywhere but at the knitwear.  Here-- here's some crazy makeup for you to gawk at instead."

Fringe Theory

I have a theory.  It goes a little something like this:

A crocheter's or a knitter's level of skill is inversely proportional to the likelihood of his/her knitting or crocheting a garment composed almost entirely of fringe.

Fringe has the benefit of hiding any number of flaws, which can be alluring to a beginner.  But then there's the downside of fringe-based clothing-- namely, that you usually end up looking something like this:

Fringe.  In its place, it's a thoroughly acceptable way to add a little pizazz to your knitting or crochet project.  You could even say that it's a time-honored tradition.  However, if you don't exercise a little restraint, your hard work might end up resembling the shaggy pelt of an abominable snowman.

Mustachioed Male Models

I always say* there's nothing like a good mustache. . .

. . . and those two specimen are nothing like a good mustache.  (Heheheh.  Sorry 'bout that.)

You have to wonder how this ever came to be.  Did they decide that the sweaters themselves (and the khaki slacks they were paired with) were just too boring on their own?  Even so, whose idea was it to spice things up with cigars and two anachronistic mustaches?  We'll probably never know. . .

*Okay, you got me.  I never say that. 

Fun Fur Trim

Now I know what (not) to do with all that novelty yarn I bought on extreme clearance (before I learned that it's not nearly as useful and versatile as plain old regular yarn):

Well, at least it's original.   You have to give the designer that much credit, right?

On the other hand, what in the heck was s/he thinking??  This thing is all over the place.  There are two different styles of crochet lace. . . sleeves that are half muppet pelt, half lace wristlets/cuffs. . . a bizarre lace-up bodice with ruffles on either side of the lace-up gap. . . and then even more fun fur trim-- and all in colors that I would've loved as an eight-year-old, but probably not much later in life than that.

Also, you gotta love how they have the same piece modeled twice by two different models.   Perhaps it's to show you how the top looks on a brunette and a brunette with blond highlights?