WELCOME to the blog for Alternative Apparel, your hub for all things Alternative: where we are and what we're up to, as well as fashion, music, pop culture, and more!
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Khaki have been a staple in the American male wardrobe for nearly 100 years now, but the mere mention of these tan pants still sends some guys running in the direction of the denim section. But khakis don’t all have to be starched stiff with pleats and paired with a pocket protector and sweater vest. Lest we forget, James Dean and Steve McQueen wore khakis—remember those fantastic GAP ads circa 1993? (Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol wore khakis, too.)
The great thing about khakis is that they’re constantly being renewed for a new generation of wearers. These days, they’re looser and cooler than they used to be, with distressed details and edgier washes. Plus, they’re more comfortable and more affordable than jeans. And you certainly aren’t required to wear your khakis with a tucked in dress shirt in 2010. Wear them with your favorite tee and go sans belt if that’s your style—as long as you’ve got a tailored fit they’ll look good with virtually anything.
Check out Alternative’s new signature men’s khakis, The Basic Twill Pant. Dressed up or down, they’re a perfect fit for fall.
The Outside Lands music festival is celebrating its third year with another amazing collection of musicians and art this year on August 14 and 15. For the third year in a row, this eco-friendly festival is taking place in beautiful Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Also for a third year in a row: Alternative is proud to be Outside Lands' official apparel sponsor!
At Outside Lands, we'll have a Pop-Up Shop where festival attendees will be able to purchase classic pieces and bestsellers from Alternative's line at 25% off! This includes styles from our eco-friendly collection, Alternative Earth, including our Rocky Eco-Fleece Zip Hoodie that we sell out of every year at Outside Lands! We'll also have a VIP Oasis backstage for musicians performing at this year's festival; bands will be able to kick back and relax on our big comfy couches, get specialized hand and neck massages from an Aveda specialist and browse through the latest and greatest in Alternative's line.
Stay tuned for photos, videos and more on our Facebook page early next week. If you're on Twitter or FourSquare, make sure you follow us for live updates as well as some fun and games (maybe some giveaways, yeh??)
Late last week, Alternative named The Peach Kings the Grand Prize Winner of its first ever Unsigned Artist Competition. The August 5th event, which took place at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City, featured our four phenomenal finalists, including the Peach Kings, The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Button Willow Locomotive and M.anifest. While the performances were stellar all around, the California-based Peach Kings' immense talent and creativity, along with the support of their fans, has earned them the Grand Prize--which means they walked away with $1500 cash, an Alternative Apparel wardrobe, two Epiphone Hummingbird guitars and a spot in Paste magazine's fall music line-up. The duo will also be featured in an upcoming Alternative Apparel campaign. Thanks to our panel of judges and all who voted--your voices have been heard!
About The Peach Kings The Peach Kings have been described as a modern-day Bridget Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg. With Paige Wood on vocals and guitar and Steven Trezevant on guitar, their sound is an organic blend of gypsydelic, rootsy soul, which can be described as "heist music in Technicolor." Keep your ears to the ground for their summer EP release, Polyester Moon.
The votes have been tallied and we’re thrilled to announce our top four Unsigned Artist Competition finalists. Congratulations to The Peach Kings, Button Willow Locomotive, The Lighthouse and the Whaler and M.anifest!
Now, these four rising starts will pack their bags and head to New York City to sing their hearts out for the grand prize. On August the finalists will perform in front of a packed house and a panel of judges, including Alternative Apparel founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Alterman, RJW Collective partner and former Epic Records president Charlie Walk, founding publisher of Paste magazine Nick Purdy, and A&R Manager of Columbia Records Jay Harren.
UPDATE: JOIN US FOR THE FINALS IN NYC! Alternative Apparel is opening up its exclusive Unsigned Artist Competition on Thursday, August 5th at Le Poisson Rouge to the first 100 guests to arrive at the event. Now is your chance to watch the four up-and-coming finalists sing their hearts out for the grand prize in front of our panel of celebrity judges. Plus, enjoy complimentary light bites, cocktails and music by DJ KISS. Doors open at 6pm—see you there!
Le Poisson Rouge,
158 Bleecker Street,
New York, NY 10018
Stay tuned for the final results. We’ll be sure to announce the winner ASAP so you can find out who walked away with the whole shebang—$1,500 cash, a feature appearance in Alternative’s Holiday 2010 campaign, a spot in Paste magazine’s fall music line-up and, of course, an Alternative Apparel wardrobe.
Thanks to all who entered and voted—your voices have been heard!
We're proud to announce the launch of a special contest with The Whigs, a trio of garage rockers from Athens, GA. Now through August 8th, you can enter our contest and submit any and all questions you'd like to ask Parker, Julian and Tim. We'll select 10 questions at random once the entry period is closed; The Whigs will then choose which three they'd like to answer during a special interview recorded at San Francisco Outside Lands, August 14-15. If your question is selected, you'll also win a prize pack including goodies from The Whigs and a $200 gift card for some shop-til-you-drop action at alternativeapparel.com!
The Whigs are touring this fall with Kings of Leon and The Black Keys; for tour dates and venues, visit their official site.
We're also happy to announce that Alternative is the official apparel sponsor for Outside Lands music festival for a third year in a row. Outside Lands, which takes place in San Francisco's gorgeous Golden Gate park every August, hosts performances by today's hottest bands and musicians. In addition, the Outside Lands music festival is dedicated to remaining eco-friendly and is produced every year with zero carbon footprint! For more information on Outside Lands and this year's line-up, visit their official site.
Comic Con was a wild whirlwind of fanboys, fangs and futuristic films, but attendees had a chance to escape and hang out with Alternative at the second annual Wired Café. Alternative was proud to sponsor the Wired Café along w/ Wired magazine, Patron tequila, Nintendo, Subaru and HBO's True Blood for some frenzy-free fun on the Omni rooftop. Well, it was mostly frenzy-free, except for that brief moment of chaos when Anna Paquin arrived - but aside from that, the Wired Café was a totally laid-back oasis. We met a lot of amazing folks and definitely felt the love for Alternative; our live screenprinting demo was a huge hit with partygoers!
Here are a few highlights: • Peaches Geldof and Eli Roth (pictured above) were huge fans of our unisex Rocky Eco-Fleece Hoodie. • Rutina Wesley (who plays Tara Thornton on HBO's True Blood) arrived looking stunning in our Striped Silk Modal Skimmer Tank! She paired it with a white blazer and some smashing sunglasses for a perfect summer afternooon look. • Jerry O'Connell made a custom screenprinted tee on our Eco-Heather Crew... and changed so he could wear it all day long. Purple's a good color on him, yeh?
