Summer School: Topped Off

-Though loose-hanging tank tops have become a staple of hipstergarb, I still get excited for the Northwest's relatively short window of tank top appropriate weather. I picked up this striped Apex Tank from Analog (top left) a few weeks ago, then today I came across this blue/red striped Obey piece at Blackbird, and now I'm really liking the idea of a pocketed¹ tank. I also like the 70s track feel of my American Apparel jersey ringer tank. Bring a light chambray or windbreaker in your bag and a great tank top or even a well-chose vintage basketball jersey can take you from a day at the beach well into a beer-fueled, bonfire-lit evening.

-There are some really nice tank tops from designers like Robert Geller and Patrik Ervell, but I actually think the skate and surf brands do a better job at getting the beach vibe right with with their color choices. And for an item that's so distinctly seasonal (in my region at least,) I'm not looking to break the bank on a designer shirt; $45 is probably as high as I would go. Karmaloop² has some gems scattered among the over-branded streetwear tanks, but as with the polo shirt, a great summer tank is an item you might be able to score at your local thrift shop.
1-For smokes, sunglasses, point-and-shoot, etc. 
2-Karmaloop's models are a pretty blatant example of the stranglehold hipsterdom has on tanktops. Let's take them back.  more

PoliSci: Barackawear (Update)

- Last week we posted some of the freshest Obama tees we've seen so far.


- Here's another piece of prime Barack material by FLOW which can be found over at streetwear mecca Karmaloop. The Young Obama tee has an old school photo from way back when he was still running his game on basketball courts.


-If you've paid any attention to the abundance of Obama love over the past several months, you've seen the Progress tees from Obey.

-They've been coming and going at Zumiez for awhile, but now that election season is really starting to heat up, they've completely taken over the store. Just today we got in a box each of the black, white and blue tees. Also included in shipment were the first boxes of Obey/Rock the Vote shirts, the latter of which we've been relentlessly promoting over at the Zu. The RtV graphic is classic Fairey but it's refreshing to see a shirt aimed at political empowerment that isn't just of Barack's supersized mug.

- The RtV tees are exclusive to Zumiez and are yet to be available via their website but if you pop into your local store, you can scoop one up now AND register to vote (which you should've done by now.)

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