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Keeping track of trends in men's neckwear could tie you upin knots. One day it's the power tie; another day men areboldly (or not so boldly) wearing ties the same color as theirshirts. Now, however, we hear the collar has turned yet again: Getready to welcome the bow tie back into style.
Knot--er, not--that it ever really went away, of course.It's just that with a renewed emphasis on elegance, the bow tieis seemingly front and center in fashionable circles. "Peopleare more open to them now with the trend toward dressing up,"explains Maureen McCormack, merchandise coordinator for themen's apparel retailer Paul Stuart in New York City. "Ithas a natty appeal."
Oddly enough, the very uniqueness that propels the popularity ofthe bow tie may be the quality that takes away from it as well."It's not for everyone," observes McCormack, whosestore sells bow ties in solids and patterns. "There's acertain personality that goes along with it--a certaineccentricity. It's very personal."
And that about ties it up.
Hot Tea
Has the American public had its fill of the same old iced tea?That's what Tim Roche is betting with his recently launched"Vice T."
As its name suggests, there's more to Vice T than meets thepalate. "It's got a little bit of a kick to it," saysRoche, 33, who hopes to create a new product category: alcoholiciced tea. "It's a malt beverage, but it tastes like abottled, sweetened lemon tea."
Roche's Plymouth, Minnesota-based Malternative Brewing Co.rolled out its debut product in May. Available in about a dozenstates, Vice T is projected to reach national distribution withinthree years.
"People are like `Wow! I can't believe no one hasthought of this [before],' " says Roche, whose tea has a5.3 percent alcohol content. "It's really been going overwell."
Inspired to create Vice T after learning of the overseas successof alcoholic lemonade, Roche predicts sales for his beveragebrainchild will reach $10 million in three years. T-riffic!
Running Tab
For those who missed out on the pog sensation--and, frankly,that includes most of us--there's another trend sneaking itsway onto the nation's playgrounds. Sure, we could string youalong. Sure, we could drag our feet--making you wade throughcountless shoe puns before telling you what's afoot. But, well,we're just not going to do that.
What we will do is direct your attention to the soda can on yourdesk. See that tab on top of the can? You're looking at thelatest fashion accessory of cool young kids. These in-the-loopyoungsters are attaching soda can tabs to their shoelaces.
Is this a trend with, er, legs? We hope not--we've certainlyused up nearly all the shoe puns we can think of. Then again, kidsdo seem awfully keen on tabs right now, so . . . who knows?
Cattle Call
Not so long ago, penguins were generating heat in theadvertising industry. Well, we're nothing if not a nation shorton attention span. Nowadays we're spotting cows pitchingeverything from milk (OK, we get it) to laptop computers (huh?).Says brand-name strategist Nick Shore, owner of Nickandpaul, a NewYork City-based brand agency, "A lot of the stuff I'mseeing now I wonder `Why is there a cow in this?' "
Pressed to explain the sudden advertising appeal of bovines,however, Shore proposes a couple of theories. First and foremost,he says, cows are just plain funny. "They're [also] quiteZen," he offers. "They're like life's observers.You know, they just stand and watch and absorb [what's goingon]. You look into their eyes, and it seems they've got asoul--unlike sharks, for instance."
Our theory? Simple: Cows just look moo-velous.
Tech It Out
Imagine a world without microwave ovens. Chilling, isn't it?It's no surprise, then, to find these cooking dynamos headingthe list of technologies that Americans say have improved theirlives the most. Specifically, in a study recently published inPredatory Marketing: What Everyone in Business Needs to Know toWin Today's Consumer (William Morrow & Co. Inc.) by C.Britt Beemer with Robert L. Shook, the following are revealed asthe top 10 technology favorites:
1. Microwave oven
2. Universal remote control (TV and VCR)
3. Garage-door opener
4. Home telephone answering machine
5. Ear thermometer
6. Breath analyzer
7. Programmable home thermostat
8. Call-waiting telephone service
9. Automatic deposit of payroll/government check
10. Supermarket price scanner
Plugged In
What of the much-ballyhooed personal computer, though? Fear not,PC lovers. In an unrelated 1996 survey of 1,000 PC-owning U.S.households by research firms Lexmark International and Roper StarchWorldwide, strong allegiance was professed to the mighty machine.So much so, in fact, that most computer owners say they'drather do without other major appliances than part with theirPCs.
Consider: If forced to choose between their stereos and PCs, 67percent opt for the PC. Change the choice to one betweendishwashers and PCs, and the percentage of PC voters drops to 60percent. Numbers crunch to a virtual dead heat, however, when thechoice is between televisions and computers. Still, 51 percent ofthose surveyed say they'd trade in theirtelevisions--"Must See TV" nights notwithstanding.
Final Analysis
Thankfully, no one's demanding American consumers give uptheir microwaves or computers. We remain a nation transfixed--andtransformed--by convenience, as both of the aforementioned surveysindicate. If push comes to shove, however, we have a hard timeenvisioning the masses peaceably relinquishing their remotecontrols--even if it's in favor of working on their computers.But maybe that's just us.
Comics Capers
Comic books are getting something of a makeover. Inspired--or,rather, uninspired--by the dearth of positive black rolemodels in the world of superheroes, a few enterprisingentrepreneurs are taking it upon themselves to paint a newpicture.
"When I read comic books [in the past], I liked the whitecharacters, but I found myself not really gravitating to theAfrican-American characters," says longtime collector andcomic book creator Alonzo Washington, explaining the impetus forstarting his Kansas City, Kansas, company, Omega 7 Inc. "Thereason [I didn't relate to these characters] was that they wereusually written in some degrading manner. They were typicallyex-cons, not too bright--and they spoke in stupid slang."
Enter Omega Man. Washington's time-traveling, crime-bustingOmega Man has given black superheroes increased visibility with hisrecent graduation from comic book character to action figure toythis summer. During the same time period, Will Smith'scharacter from the box-office smash movie "Men in Black"also took a high-profile turn as an action figure toy.
"Hopefully, the color line will be broken and we'll getinto more mainstream stores," says Washington, 30, whose OmegaMan is sold through the Toys "R" Us retail chain. Omega7--which has released six different comic book titles since itsinception in 1992--is expected to superpower its way to sales of$1.5 million this year.
"For the most part, America knows only one note of theAfrican-American existence," says a cautiously optimisticWashington. "They haven't seen the symphony. I think Omega7 is [helping to change] that."
Super Rumor?
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's . . . anotherSuperman movie? With this summer's Batman frenzy all but adistant memory, filmgoers anxiously await the next superhero tosuit up for action. They may not have to wait long: Word is, WarnerBros. plans another big-screen go-round with the Man of Steel fornext summer. If Hollywood rumors prove to be as strong askryptonite, Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage will star inthe title role. And--how's this for superheroicsymmetry?--"Batman" director Tim Burton is reportedly setto helm the would-be blockbuster.
Contact Sources
Lexmark International, (606) 232-7541
Malternative Brewing Co., 181 Cheshire Ln., #100,Plymouth, MN 55441, (612) 404-5836
Nickandpaul, (212) 989-0868, nicknandp@aol.com
Omega 7 Inc., P.O. Box 171046, Kansas City, KS 66117,(913) 321-6764
Paul Stuart Men's Stores, Madison Ave. at 45th St.,New York, NY 10017, (800) 678-8278.
