You’ve heard of the Age of Aquarius...and the Winter of our Discontent...well, we appear to be entering the pre-Fall of the Golden Shoe. As evidence of this occurrence I ask you to take a look at the two pairs below from, respectively, Phillip Lim's new shoe collection (photographed on a 70's bachelor pad sheepskin rug for I know not what reason...his Fall collection was more 60's youth than desperate swinger) and Pour la Victoire.

I like a gold shoe...correction, I like the idea of a gold shoe...I've never actually owned a pair...though my preference is for cracked and crumbling, slightly distressed gilt as opposed to a full-on mirror shine. So, while I like the concept, I like the idea of buying a pair of jazz flats and spray painting them gold a whole lot more...

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for a pair of Current Elliott jeans. I was hesitant about doing it at first...and I know that some of you weren't keen on the idea...so I was happy to end up with a good number of entries. Don't expect a mass of drawings from now on...but if I get offered something as a giveaway that I would like to receive...like these jeans (I'm very envious of the winner of these puppies)...then I'll hold another one.

The drawing was conducted by Hebden, Hebden, and Hebden...ie I wrote the names down and placed all the entries in a hat and Mr. Heb kindly consented to do the actual drawing.

And the winner is...rumibean! Congratulations, I'll be in touch soon to get your mailing info...

Based upon ludicrously scant evidence...aka a fleeting glimpse of the Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin image below...I have high hopes for APC's Fall/Winter collection...there's something so alluring about the whimsical-60's-moody-French scrapbook feel...the hint of stripes (and, is that a ruffle I see?)...I can't wait to see more...and to grow my bangs a little longer...wear dark eyeliner and lipstick...and sit in a field for a little while...

There are people who have a long history of finding the most amazing vintage pieces...at equally amazing prices. I'll say here and now that I am not one of those people. I do own vintage, but I've either inherited it or paid a fair (in some cases more than fair) price for it. There have been none of those "Antiques Roadshow...I found a Rembrandt in my attic" moments.

Until now.

I've been lusting over the Hermes Constance bag for...well, basically as long as I can remember. But I thought my love was going to be of the unrequited kind...I may be a bag addict but even I draw the line at buying a handbag that costs the same as a used car or the gross domestic product of a small island nation.

Then I stumbled across my "find"...she's had rough-ish life (soothed by one application of saddle soap, hopefully cured after a few more)...but I think I may love her more because of that fact. Of course, the bargainous price that I picked her up for doesn't hurt either...

Depending on how you look at it this outfit is either very "4th of July, let's go barbecue something and set off a few fireworks"...or..."classic French casual (nice handbag and Breton stripes)"

Oh, who am I kidding...stick some bunting on me, I'm a walking celebration...

I hate to say it but...Guardian...we really need to talk. When Jess Cartner-Morley did a video on how to wear denim skirts I could sort of get behind it (she partnered it with a striped top and, as this is one of my favorite combos, who was I to argue?)...when she did 2 minutes and 36 seconds of in-depth reportage on how to wear slogan t-shirts I could fondly reminisce (and think of the pile of vintage Katherine Hamnett sitting in my closet)...but, this week, you hit a low when you tried to eek out a video on the profound topic..."How to dress: Dresses with pockets".

Much as I love a D.W.P. (or its abbreviated cousin the Skirt With Pocket) do we really need a video on this topic? Is there anybody who needs to be told that a D.W.P. are great because they allow you to...um...put your hands in your pockets? What's next, "Pants...they're cool because they cover your legs on those days when you're feeling grotty"? The most depressing part of this is that I'm drawn to these videos like a moth to a flame...or a voyeur near the scene of an accident...I want to look away, but I can't.

I feel a little ashamed right now about the number of clog jokes that I've made over the years (generally of the small...Dutch...mouse variety). I'd love to say that this remorse was occasioned by a new found love of mice...or dancing on staircases...but no, once again, it's avarice...as I find myself besotted by, not just clogs, but...dear God help me...biker clogs. As I type this I have to add that I fully acknowledge that they're the evil spawn of a Hell's Angel and a hippie and, yet, I can't help but think that they make other (saner) biker boots look a little...tame...in comparison.

Really the only think holding me back from buying a pair of these Frankenboots is my dislike of discomfort...I'm having a hard time with the idea that spending a day walking around on wooden platforms is going to be anything other that hideously painful. Which led me to wonder if anyone out there has any clog/wooden soled shoe experiences that they'd like to share...

Rather annoyingly I have decided that I'd like a large, smooshy, python (well, decent faux python...I'm not Rockefeller) clutch. I say r.a. because I saw just the thing several months ago at Club Monaco but was feeling a) cheap, and b) not in a shopping mood, when I spotted it and therefore passed it up...and am left kicking myself. Naturally because my heart is set on large and smooshy...everything I come across now within my price range is small, envelope-shaped, and incredibly stiff and hard. The fashion Gods are obviously punishing me for my former moodiness.

It's recipe time again...even though I'm a "cold weather, hearty dish" kind of a girl I find myself venturing into the kitchen this summer...mainly in an effort to find some salad-ish dishes that can be made in batches, thrown in the refrigerator, and eaten over the course of a few days (thereby cutting the actual time I'll spend en cuisine overall). This dish is remarkably light considering the pork and pasta it contains and perfect for hot days when you're hungry and need something more than a few lettuce leaves staring up at you from your plate...

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the pork and 2 of the cloves of garlic. Season them with salt and pepper and cook until the chops are browned and the garlic caramelized. Take off the heat, set to one side, and (once they've cooled a bit) chop into small cubes.

In a good-sized bowl whisk together the yoghurt, the final clove of garlic, the red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta, chopped peppers, onions, basil, and pork, and mix until everything is coated. Cover bowl with cling film and place in refrigerator until needed.

If, like me, you're indulging in a little herb gardening this year the basil can be swapped out quite successfully for a little greek oregano (or whatever other herb you're growing).

"Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To bring him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And don't mention Frodo or the ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. In fact, it's best if you don't speak at all, Peregrin Took." - J.R.R. Tolkien

As much as I love modern jewelry I have to admit that, on a day-to-day basis, the pieces that I get the most wear out of are...(depending on your point of view)...vintage...antique...old. Well made...generally of a better grade of material than I could afford if I bought something similar that was newly made today...with the occasional reminder of its former owners (usually in the form of a few knocks and blemishes that show that both the piece, and its f.o.'s, lived it up a little).

Case in point...this adorable banded agate signet ring from the mid-1800's...just when you think that nothing could be better than the scrolling gold...and the ring's "ornate collegiate" feel...you look inside and see the word "Beloved" engraved there...

"Even Mr. Chamberlain himself takes pride in England's honorable uniform, and makes the army down there wear an ugly and odious and appropriate disguise, of yellow stuff such as quarantine flags are made of, and which are hoisted to warn the healthy away from unclean disease and repulsive death. This cloth is called khaki. We could adopt it. It is light, comfortable, grotesque, and deceives the enemy, for he cannot conceive of a soldier being concealed in it."

"To the Person Sitting in Darkness" - Mark Twain (decidedly not a fan of khaki)

In the normal course of events I would be right behind Mr. Twain in my loathing of "the khaki"...probably a result of all those years of having to work with the constraints of corporate summer dress codes...codes which seemed to think that warm weather clothing began and ended with khakis (pressed) and a polo shirt (presumably Ralph Lauren and laundered to within an inch of its life). This particular pair, however, are the non-khaki...Japanese...high-waisted...with comfortingly Humpty-Dumpty dimensions. Not the most flattering pants in the world but (much as it pains me to say it) perfect for warm weather working...

"It was all very well for an Englishman like Mr. Fogg to make the tour of the world with a carpet-bag; a lady could not be expected to travel comfortably under such conditions." - Jules Verne

I suppose it was inevitable that when "the great travel bag hunt of '09" finally came to its conclusion there would be no travel plans on the Hebden horizon. Still, after months of finding bags that, in the words of Goldilocks, were "too big, too small, just not right" I'm so relieved to have actually found the bag...my bag...that I'm happy to just sit and stare at it for a while (though, for numerous reasons, a trip of some sort would be nice).

Given the fact that my other "good" travel bag...a behemoth, large enough for Mr. Heb and I to use when we moved to another country...is from Italian bag Gods Mandarina Duck...it's probably unsurprising that my quest ended with another of their bags. Along the way I may have been drawn to more "fashion" bags but, ultimately, I was looking for something that both looked good and was (gasp) functional...a decent-sized carry-on that would survive mis-treatment (both from me and the various airline employees it would come into contact with)...made from a relatively lightweight material that wouldn't reflect every stain that came its way...and of a shape that suggested that my clothes would reach my destination relatively wrinkle free.

The Isi travel bag can be carried by hand...over the shoulder...or slung across the body (the perfect option if, like me, you have the upper body strength of a child)...with an inside pocket...an outside pocket...a 38 liter capacity...and made of a waterproof treated nylon fabric. Sadly their website only offers the bag in a rather murky sage color...I was lucky enough to find mine is in a comforting, go-with-anything, shade of black.

Thanks to susie bubble...and the link she provided last week to Not Just a Label's July eShop offerings...I've had several things on my mind recently. Not least of which is this little gold plated camel by German jeweler kvast...part of their 24 Carat Pets collection of discarded toys and trinkets which have been dipped in gold and bound in silk ropes. My long-time love affair with camels...and my twin love of all things shiny...was causing me to seriously consider a dip into the Hebden finances when I suddenly remembered something that was lurking in my jewelry box. A small brass pig...originally used as a lucky dice holder but with enough space, once his head was flipped open, to hold a folded emergency $20 bill...with a cord passed through the ring in his tail he took the edge off my animal craving (though I'm still experiencing a certain amount of dromedary desire).

I know this isn't a new idea...numerous bloggers, myself included, have adorned their plain t-shirts with various kinds of embellishments...but this Phillip Lim tee is a beautiful example of "ornate neck-piece on a plain t-shirt". The heavy beading calls to mind the kind of heavy swagging that you find in vintage interior decorating magazines...and makes me wonder if I should plan a trip to a furnishing store to see what I can pick up in the way of wearable tassels, ropes, and swags...

"Interior design is a travesty of the architectural process and a frightening condemnation of the credulity, helplessness and gullibility of the most formidable consumers - the rich." - Stephen Bayley

I have, I'll admit, a rather pedantic need for names to fit the things that they're naming...if the moniker doesn't feel right I have a hard time getting up any enthusiasm for the item in question. So you can imagine my feelings when I received the following in an email from Net-a-Porter...

Now, realistically, I see the merits of the loop scarf...but I find it hard to get past the inherent ugliness of the word snood...or the idea that, come the Fall, cool girls everywhere will be discussing the virtues of snood A over snood B...or that the term snood imparts any sense of luxury.

Am I alone on this one or does anyone else get hung up on names?

Walking around yesterday I happened upon some flowers whose vibrancy made me feel a little ashamed of the lack of color in my outfit...I know, I know, navy, grey, black, and brown are colors...they just don't seem like it when you're confronted by a blazing mass of orange and green.

Though today's color choices still fade next to the flora they're definitely inspired by it...at least in part...I'm not completely turning over a new leaf...

Do you enjoy paint-by-numbers but feel, as so many of us do, that they no longer "stretch you...as an artist"? Did you manage to inject the last sentence...either mentally or out loud...with a satisfyingly nasal pseudo-intellectual-art-lover twang? If the answer to both questions was a resounding yes I have just the project for you...DIY contemporary high art kits from IARTISTLONDON.

Whether you want to recreate Marc Quinn's Self...and have a bloody head (either yours or a loved one) in your freezer...or spray paint your walls with a Banksy stencil...or even make your own patchwork camping tent a la Tracy Emin's Everyone I have Ever slept with 1963-1995...they have a kit to meet your needs.

My personal favorite...the budget version of Damien Hirst's Love of God...the actual piece...a human skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds...the DIY version...a life-size plastic skull, 8,601 crystals, glue, a paintbrush, silver paint, and the all-important tweezers. The big question...do I, the woman who could never complete a model airplane kit and once stuck a wing on upside down, have enough patience to attach all those crystals. To be honest, I'm not sure...but I think it would be fun to try...

In the "cost per wearing" stakes I think that, at this point, Balenciaga owes me money for this bag. Hyperbole...or, as the ancient Greeks used to say, ὑπερβολή? Well, yes...but, bought on sale, this bag is the ultimate travel-errand running-God I need to carry a lot of stuff but actually have to be able to find things relatively quickly tote. It actually keeps me organized...no small feat considering the usual morass of junk lurking in my handbag (when the ink on a receipt has faded to the point that it can no longer be read you have been carrying it around for way too long). When the day finally comes and we're forced to part ways...hopefully not for a long time but the leather is actually fading in patches so I'm forced to admit it will happen...there will be a tear in my eye...

I read the instructions with a certain amount of nostalgia..."turn your plastic bags into plarn"..."using garter stitch, knit five separate pieces"..."sew them together using an embroidery needle and a piece of plarn". The object being thus constructed (from a selection of dismembered plastic bags) was a clutch...but in the depths of my memory I recalled a pre-teen plarn project...the hours spent cutting black garbage bags into strips...knitting the lengths of plastic into the shapes I desired...the finished design...an over-sized fisherman's hat.

The end result was...interesting. Strangely hard and knobbly it's main virtue was being 100% waterproof...it's downfall, the inability to exist near an open flame.

For the curious, today's quote is from Guy deBord.

I really shouldn't be as excited as I (rather sadly) am when I find myself confronted by a drizzly, cool, July day...the urge to go for long walks and splash through puddles runs rampant within me...more so because the temperatures are set to rise back into the loathsome 80's and 90's starting tomorrow. The thing is though...however much I welcome the rain...I loathe wearing pants during a cloud-burst...even a "sensible" (i.e. non-splashy) walker ends up with an inch of soggy trouser cuff after a couple of blocks...and the feeling of rising damp when you eventually make your way indoors is depressing...dresses, in my mind, have always seemed a much more utilitarian option.

If the past few days have shown anything, outfit-wise, it's that I have an inescapable love of denim (be it Levis, Gap, Joe's, or Citizens of Humanity denim). That being the case what better contest prize could there be than a pair of Current Elliott Jeans? That's right...someone is going to win a pair of distressed, loved, $229 jeans...courtesy of the lovely folks at chickdowntown.com (Twitter/Facebook). The rules are virtually non-existent...you need to be a U.S. resident (apologies to everyone else, I know that I have a lot of readers from outside the States)...that's it. Just leave a comment containing your email address...on July 14th I'll put all the entries in a hat and select the winner.

Day three with a denim-ish theme...perhaps I need to find a self help group... Though having been granted a brief respite from summer's heat how could I not say hello to an old friend? Jeans - Joe's, striped t-shirt - American Apparel, cotton peacoat - Gap, hi-tops - Converse, bag - Vivienne Westwood

As you know by now, every so often I post a recipe...there's no particular rhyme or reason for this...either with the timing or the recipes themselves (past entries, after all, include miniature BLTs and salt and vinegar popcorn)...

This morning I was unusually motivated and made a batch of reduced fat/low cholesterol banana muffins...despite the off-puttingly healthy name these are delicious...even more so if you throw a handful of raisins into the final batter mix.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place some paper baking cups in a 12-muffin muffin pan.

In one bowl...mix all "The Dry" ingredients...and, in another bowl, mix all "The Wet". Add "The Dry" to "The Wet" and stir until mixed (the batter, however, will never be smooth so don't go crazy and overmix).

Bake for 30 minutes (or until the obligatory toothpick comes out clean). Let cool (a little)...then eat...best served with a large glass of ice cold grapefruit juice and one of Junko Mizuno's Hell Babies.

After a fair amount of prevarication (and just a pinch of mindless pottering) I finally sat down yesterday and put in the time necessary to finish up my blog re-design...I'll be moving over to the new layout shortly and would love to hear what you think...especially if anything looks odd (or is, heaven forbid, completely nonoperational).

Images on archival posts are a smidge longer than the space available in the new format and will, in consequence, look a little abbreviated. I'm hoping that's the biggest issue...but this was some of the most finicky coding that I've done to date...and I'm an awful pessimist...so I'd like to ask, upfront, for your patience over the next few days as I iron out any glitches.

Two days of plaid and chambray/denim in a row and I feel like Claire from The Blues Brothers..."Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western"...but as I've been sitting hunched over my computer for most of the day trying to figure out xml code (more on that in a future post) my main concern is comfort... Shirt - Ralph Lauren, skirt - See by Chloe, clutch - vintage Vivienne Westwood, gold talon necklace - Erica Weiner, flats - Jones the Bootmaker

"Americans are among the strongest believers in claims that Pluto, discovered in 1930, is a planet. Others, like me, say it's an icy body rather than a planet." - Dr. Noah Brosch

As someone to whom the word "shorts" is synonymous with clown-haters and the mold at the back of the refrigerator (I know they exist, I just don't acknowledge their presence) what I am about to say is slightly shocking...I have lost my heart to a pair of 1930's, high-waisted bloomers.

Sadly, from a closet if not a sanity perspective, their waist measurements and mine do not match. Which is a shame as these are shorts I could get along with...shorts that masquerade as a skirt...shorts with a little history behind them...and shorts with a delicate crochet detail on each leg.

Once again I'm forced to admit that some things are just not meant to be...

To add to the unknown cowboy's thoughts...don't, for any reason, drink a vodka based fruit punch and Chianti during the same party...whether you're standing upstream, downstream, or in the stream. No good will come of it, none...

In the world of summer shade providers, hats are for busy days...the days when you need to perch one on your head and stride out, purposefully, getting things done. Parasols are for the lazy, pottering days...when it takes hours to get from point A to point B and, destination reached, there's a certain lack of clarity as to why you came.

Moving around under (in my case) a turquoise shadow, the world seems to slow down...the view of your surroundings is framed by an undulating wave of paper...a seagull, on a fish-finding reconnaissance mission, flies overhead and is lost from sight...a sailboat, emerging from the harbor, drifts by. You could, by tilting your head or moving your arm, follow them further on their journey...but it's a lazy day...and staring at the sun didn't do Icarus any good...so you sit in the shade and enjoy the view...

“At some point we need to move on. We need to start doing some things. That day is fast approaching, if it's not here already. Our prom dress has been on for over [a] year and we've been standing there, with a corsage, waiting.” - Billy Beane

I'm rather ashamed to say it but...I bought this See by Chloe dress on sale a couple of years ago and this is the first time it will actually see the light of day. It's one of those dresses that I loved in the changing room but, whenever I pull it out and try it on, never seems quite right. The upper half, with it's puffy sleeves and lace bib, seems to yell "prom"...but they're the only thing about the dress which do.

Today I yanked it out of the closet yet one more time...unsurprisingly it still didn't feel quite right but, at this point, I don't think it ever will. So, I'm finally wearing it...to a barbecue.

"I am terribly conscious of the fact that the world doesn't need any more actors. There are so many brilliant actors around that one more twit like me joining the back of the queue seems completely unnecessary." - Hugh Laurie

Having wittered away (at length) to anyone who would listen to me about the unnecessaryness of Twitter...and the information overload that it provided...I've finally succumbed...

Which means that...like most technology related things in my life (laptop, digital camera, expensive software)...I will be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the future only to become hooked on said item after about ten minutes (actually, that's an overly-generous estimate, I was addicted to Photoshop after about 30 seconds).

If anyone would care to befriend me as I start my journey in this brave new world you can find me going under the nom de plume of Hebden9 (as someone got there ahead of me and snagged my normal guise).

"Poor Elsa Lanchester. She left England because it already had a queen - Victoria. And she wanted to be queen of the Charles Laughton household, once he became a star, but he already had the role." - Marlene Dietrich

I was going to write about the supreme dorky-ugly-retro sweetness that constitutes these brown and white beauties by Elsa...the brainchild of a former Dries Van Noten/Martin Margiela shoe and accessories designer and an Italian shoe producer...a while ago. The combination of hand-painted wooden heels and old-lady girlishness appealed to me...

But, for some reason, it didn't happen...alright, to be honest...I started the post, saved it mid-way through, and then forgot all about it when I next logged on. So I'm taking this opportunity to rectify the situation...only now I've had the chance to look a more pieces from their summer collection and have found even more items to lust over...

I suppose it's only fitting that I round out "bitching about bruises" week with an outfit that is 100% tomboy. There's a flash of floral, it's true...but...thanks to the Marlon Brandon worthy cap sleeves (and nautical stripes...how very "On The Waterfront")...and Cons...this is pure catching frogs and getting in fights territory. Ah, summer...it unleashes the 10 year old in you whether you want it to or not... Striped top - Old Navy, floral skirt - Cacharel/Liberty, gold talon necklace - Erica Weiner, hi-tops - Converse

I should have known better...

Having stalked Heimstone's website with alarming regularity for the last few months...waiting (though, admittedly, not with a huge degree of patience) for a glimpse of their Fall/Winter collection...there was a fairly good chance that I was destined to be disappointed. And, you know what? I was...

Though not for any momentous reason (well, except for the soundtrack that they added to complement the new jungle theme on their site...after a couple of minutes of random chirpings and sqwalkings I was ready to kill)...no, it was simply that all the pieces were...okay. And having worked myself up into a frenzy of anticipation I wanted more...

You may have noticed yesterday that, currently, I have more bruise than leg...at last count there were about ten of the little swines...ranging in size from a modest scuff-mark to a just-under-2-inch-in-diameter behemoth on my thigh (I only hope that the table I walked in to is feeling as badly as I am right now).

Why is it that my general, year-round, klutziness goes into overdrive once the temperature heats up? In the last week I have bumped into so many pieces of furniture that I've lost count...of course, as I'm British, I apologize to each of them...and each, in return, has left its own indelible mark.

The only thing to take comfort in...and I'm stepping (warily, and in the knowledge that I'll probably bump into something) into grasping at straws territory here...is that I'm not alone...as shown by Alexa Chung (well, her lower limbs at least) in gorgeous Chanel shoes...accessorized by a fair number of bumps and bruises.

Coming, as I did, from rural Scotland...and average summer temperatures that were downright nippy...I've never managed to fully acclimatize myself to days, like today, when the temperature is in the mid-90's and the heat index is hovering between 100 and 106. One...hundred...and...six...degrees. That's something you see in a cookbook..."simmer, at 106 degrees, for 30 minutes"...not something you actually try and wade through.

In prior years I've attempted to battle my way through the heat...wearing tights and pants...morphing from a cold weather short skirt wearer to a warm weather shroud wearer simply because I'm not a fan of my stems in the cold (metaphorically that is), cruel, light of day...unassisted by a comforting layer of black opaque lycra. But this year, for whatever reason, I've decided to take the plunge. Do I still have as many scuffs and bruises as a 10 year old boy? Yes. Am I still pale enough to worry about people walking behind me yelling "bring out your dead"? Yes, that too. But, as the Walrus said, "the time has come"...and, if my nerve fails, I still have those shapeless pants lurking in my closet somewhere...

As I stood in line at the supermarket I noticed Gwen Stefani's face staring up at me from the July cover of US Elle (okay, I noticed "Good" versus "Evil"...ie a pack of gum and a Twix bar...staring up at me first...but my eye made it over to Gwen eventually). And there...just to the left of her Dennis-the-Menace-meets-high-fashion sweater...were the words "Shopping's Back!...275 of Fall's Must-Haves...Get Them First!"

Now there was a long-ish line behind me so I didn't have time to delve into the exact nature of all these items that I'm supposed to do battle for so that I can "Get Them First!"...though, I have to admit, even if the aisle had been empty I probably wouldn't have looked as I was still musing on the the announcement that "Shopping's Back!"

From a personal standpoint I can say that it never completely went away...I cut back...I waged mental battles about whether skirt A was better value (worked with more items currently in my closet, well made, had some promise of longevity) than skirt B...I became a frugal version of myself and searched for online coupons like a leprechaun sliding down rainbows...but I never actually stopped shopping.

But, if I had, I know that it would take a lot more than an exhortation on the cover of Elle to get me handing over my credit card again. I get it...designers are going out of business...stores aren't making any sales (or, to be precise, are having to put things on sale in order for them to sell)...things need to take a positive swing before they get worse...but maybe a couple of the lessons learned from this recession should be competitive pricing for well made goods (no over-priced, shoddy items marked up because they are "designer") and that, as a result of having to be more selective, consumers are now more savvy about being marketed to...a clarion cry of "Buy this!...Now!" simply won't work anymore.

I usually stick with the twin philosophies of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" and "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" but after one official day of summer...and with a decent period of time remaining until Labor Day (otherwise known as "let's get back to black day")...I'm forced to ask if anyone else has noticed the combined evils of an upsurge in the number of people donning white trousers and a complete disregard for what's worn underneath them?

I ask because, in the course of one short walk, I encountered multiple instances of the following...extra-tight pants worn with thongs (absolutely nothing left to the imagination)...and...white pants fighting a losing battle with black underwear.

It is, my friends, clearly going to be a very long summer...