Sometimes you just want a good ol' American band Tee by way of...Japan. Yuichi Kuroda of the label Lad Musician simply puts our favorite underground band photos of the 60s and 70s onto some hand-spun Peru pima cotton and boom! you're ready to go for the show or the beat-up morning after breakfast. The concept's not-so-fancy, but the clothes feel broken in and worn. And... the guys on the photos aren't even the real Rolling Stones, they were taken in a fake photo session with their modern doppelgangers. Photoshoots for shirts! Fashion that's not serious! Genius! Lad Musician also has jeans made from vintage 60s denim and dyed in natural indigo.

I can confidently say that Clothes Optional is my number one destination for vintage clothes. Clothes Optional, located at 2918 North Clark Street in Chicago, is charming and affordable. Jaime, the owner, has decorated the store with the most amazing vintage owl collection that makes my eyes bug out every time I see it. She carries a huge selection of women’s clothing ranging from the late ‘50s to the ‘80’s and a smaller, but still impressive men’s section.

Not only does Clothes Optional sell amazing vintage items, they also buy them. This means that the silver sixties mini that you bought for an Andy Warhol themed party three years ago and haven’t worn since can be turned around for profit! Or store credit, which you’ll probably want to take after you take a look around this jam-packed store. They also have a basement with discounted clothing and house wares.

Clothes Optional is also the host to cool art shows every month where not only do they display hot art, they markdown all the clothes in the store! SCORE!

IMAGE

The only thing MySpace is good for these days is calendars and photocubes. Thanks to Tom, here is a gift from me to you!

Click image to download!

Unlike 5,000 other Chicagoans, I didn't go see Justice at the Congress on New Year's Eve. Looking at the pictures, I see that I had good reason to miss it. I hate ginormous crowds, teen fipsters(fake hipsters) and Lincoln Park trixies that want nothing more than to fit into the Wicker Park scene. My biggest fashion hope for 2009 is that I never see another piece of gold lame or shutter shade again.

         
Photos by: Clayton Hauck | Everyoneisfamous.com

I really love when books are grouped together by color. Peaches Geldof’s place on The Selby inspired me to rearrange my bookshelves.

[photos via theselby.com]

Personally, I think Tracee Mae Miller has been Detroit's best kept secret for years now. A figurehead of the Detroit band Blanche, Tracee wears brighter versions of frontier fashions past. She is one half of the vocals in the band, along with her husband Dan Miller, seen in the movie Walk the Line. The tall Tracee can be spotted around various Detroit locales, shopping in Lost and Found Vintage or the dirtier stages of back-alley music venues.

Now she is an accomplished painter! Check them out if you're from the metro area, she exhibits sporadically around town. I love my Detroit down-home celebrities!

If you're not in New York watching the ball drop, here is a list of events going on in cities around the Midwest.

1. Revolution No. 9 Featuring: Justice
Congress Theater | 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave.
w/ So Me, Peanut Butter Wolf, Hey Champ, Home Video, Willy Joy, Zebo, DarkWave Disco DJ's, The Glamour, Skyler and Bearries
7PM, $60(includes 1 yr. subscription to Time Out Chicago), 17+

2. NYE 2008 at The Burlington
3425 W Fullerton
w/ Mannequin Men DJ's
All You Can Drink | Catered by Sushi X(Raw and Cooked) | Champagne Toast
8PM, $65 per person/$60 each per couple, 21+

3. New Year's Eve
Debonair Social Club | 1575 N. Milwaukee Ave.
4 hour open bar | champagne toast at midnight | party favors | open kitchen
8PM, $65, 21+

4. Cheeky Chicago’s NYE Party: “A Global Threesome”
Angels & Kings | 710 N. Clark St
Triple champagne toast | Goody bags | Cupcakes
w/ DJ Mister Wolf
9PM, $95, 21+

5. GoWithTheFlow NYE Party
RSVP for top secret address!
Drinks | Food | Champagne Toast
w. DJ's Chrissy Murderbot, Moptop (Starters DJs), Trentino, Joe Cool, Tek, Kalico Kali, and
Shantee Deena
Open bar: 8:30PM -10PM, $15 guys | $10 girls, 18+

1. Café Montmartre New Years Eve Party
127 E. Mifflin Street
VO5 and DJ Bubba Grande (disco/dance)
Appetizers and champagne toast
8:30, $10 before 10 PM and $15 after, 21+

2. Mickey’s Tavern
1524 Williamson Street
New Years Eve Show w/ The Shabelles, The Takebacks, The Hemlines, Sylvia Beach
10 PM, FREE, 21+

3. Up All Night: Jammin’ into 2009 The Majestic
115 King Street
w/ Mama Digdown’s Big Brass Band, Baghdad Scuba Review, Steez and DJ Swerve
Appetizers from El Pastor, champagne toast
9PM, $15 or $20 at the door, 21+

4. Indie Queer: New Queers Eve w/ Real Jaguar
The Corral Room | 116 S. Hamilton Street
9 PM, $8 in 2008 and $9 in 2009, 21+

5. The Frequency New Years Eve Party
121 W. Main Street
w/ Kill Junior, Ladybeard, The Descendaints, The Treats, Cribshitter
9 PM, $10, 21+

1. Brotown and the Beef Caves New Year's Eve show
Trumbull Plex | 4210 Trumbull Avenue
w/ Landlord and Happy Living
9PM

2. Detroit Rep New Year's Eve Party
Detroit Repertory Theatre | 13103 Woodrow Wilson
Champagne, Hor D'oeuvres | Performance | Buffet supper 
$75

3. New Year's Eve Inside Detroit Style
Bookie's Tavern | 1265 Washington Blvd.
3 Parties in One:  Open bar at Bookie's Tavern |  Jazz at Cliff Bell's | Cap off at the Fillmore Theatre
9 PM, $40 advance/$50 the night of

4. New Year's Eve Live! with Bushman and DJ Don Q
St. Andrew's Hall | 431 E. Congress
9PM, 18+

With New Year's Eve just a day away, you should probably have your plans and more importantly, your outfit set in stone. Being the procrastinator that I am, I have neither, but tis the reason for resolutions, right?

Since this wondrous, champagne-filled evening only comes once a year, I believe that everyone, regardless of what they're doing, should wear their Sunday's best.

Inspiring me this year are the days of yore, when gals wore ballgowns and and boys wore Tuxedos.

I found this set on Polyvore that I'm using as inspiration. I love the idea of a "feminine tuxedo", replacing the pants with a mini. Though, I'm also thinking that this occasion calls for me to bust out the sequins, preferably gold! Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

What are YOU wearing??