One trend I’ve been noticing lately is Tattoo art in mainstream fashion.  This is generally attributed to Ed Hardy’s recent dash to the mainstream. (Shoeblog has a great summary of Ed Hardy’s history and how he wasn’t an overnight success). As much as I love a lot of the design and the aura and feel that Tattoo art exudes – I can’t help but think a lot of the stuff will be relegated to the back ends of the closet as the trend comes to an end.

Except when done subtly.  A lot of trends – be in pop colors or niche designs like tattoo – can become longer lasting than the trend themselves when done in lesser extremes.  Take for example these heels from Gucci:

The subtle tattoo rose design makes the peep toe pop while still maintaining a certain amount of class and dignity.  In a lot of ways, it’s like a well placed tattoo.  While a sleeve or full back tattoo can be beautiful and awe inspiring, over time it is too much.  Yet a subtle tattoo, hidden away only for those special enough to see, can often have a lot more lasting impression.

Will people be buying Ed Hardy shirts at thrift stores 5 years from now?  Or will the trend stay somewhat mainstream?  As with all fashion, it’s a wait and see game.

I was at my local Fleet Feet store getting my foot fitted for the proper running shoe. I hadn’t actually tried on a pair of shoes in years – simply relying on the sizing that I somehow conjured up through years of growth spurts, feeling for toe room, etc etc. The woman at the store whips out the Brannock device – this archaic machine that I remember playing with in my youth when my mother was shopping for shoes at the mall. I thought to myself “people still use these things?”

They do! Enough so that Design Observer paid homage to this subtle machinery that still propagates itself into stores year after year.

With all the technology I surround myself with each and every day, it’s somewhat comforting to know that something so simple is still alive and kicking.

(By the way – through this wonderful machine, I found out that I have two different sized feet. Without pressure, my right foot is a 10 and my left foot is a 9. When standing, the right foot grows to a size 10.5/11 (my shoe size) and the left grows to a 9.5/10. I also discovered (not with the machine) that I over-pronate and that I need stability controlled running shoes. Fun stuff…)