Writing: The Color Blue

 What was your favorite color when you were a child? Mine was Blue. Blue was a color that just made everything better for me. In a sense, everything that was Blue was superior in my eyes as a child. It ranged from clothes to objects to cars to anything you can imagine. If it was Blue, I would most definitely like it. If the food had Blue packaging I would want to have it. Blueberry muffins, pancakes, and other things were my preference. As I grew older that part of me faded away.

Starry Night Over the Rhone, Vincent Van Gogh. Musée d'Orsay.

One's favorite color was a nice ice breaker for a simple conversation. When you're becoming friends with another person, it's easy to ask what their favorite color is. Without thinking you could ask the question: "Why?" It is interesting to find out that the answer to why ones favorite color is what it is can vary from a very simple response like "because I like how it looks" to a whole story associated with the color or colors.

Blue things I own. Shirts.

That is one more point. There are so much colors available for us humans to see and yet we sometimes narrow them down to a few or just one as our favorite. Some people might even hate certain colors. I can relate in a way but it is still very confusing to me. I can barely choose a color as my favorite now and yet some people can like and dislike a color so easily.

Wool Bucket Hat and a Rain Jacket.

Ever since I lost favor for the color Blue, I was in some sort of color favoritism limbo. I couldn't pick what color was the best in my eyes. I began to ask myself what color should I believe will give me the most satisfaction. This only brought me to a conclusion that I can not pick only one color. At that point of my life I liked all colors. I would respond to the question of favoritism by saying that I liked all the colors and it is just in a way on how they are used, combined together and the occasion they are being used for. Of course the old ways of picking blueberry muffins and blue dyed food still lingered.

As of now I chose Navy Blue as my favorite color. It looks sturdy and elegant. It works well with a lot of the other colors. It is a remnant of my childhood's favorite color. I still like all of the colors when correctly used but it feels good to have arrived to a conclusive answer to my question.

Hats and other accessories.

So when you ask someone what their favorite color is, it will actually tell more about them than you think. It might tell you about things and people they love. It might tell you about how they see the world. It could also tell you that they just like Yellow.

Spotlight: Profound Aesthetic

The first hats I got were the ones in the right and left. Portland Rose and Alzarin Paisley. Photos from the Profound Aesthetic website which will be linked below.

My first encounter with Profound Aesthetic was actually at Urban Outfitters. I was browsing around the store and something that really caught my eye was this floral patterned hat. I held the hat in my hands and I knew that I had to have it. It wasn't all too exuberant but just the way the hat was put together was making it so appealing. I went home and ordered two hats from their website after looking at their designs.

Profound Aesthetic was established in 2008 in New Jersey. The creators wanted to deliver visually appealing pieces while also having a meaningful inspiration behind it. They have inspirations drawn from American history and culture, historical artifacts and iconic individuals. The general feel anyone would get from their items is that they pay attention to very small details. They take great pride in their product.

Visions and Victories (2014 Collection)

Visions and Victories (2014) Lookbook.

Now more than ever, Profound Aesthetic comes back with a collection that pays even more attention to the small details of a product.

Left: The American Aviator Hooded Parka Jacket in Khaki Tan. Smaller photos: Various clothes pieces.

Americana: A main feature of a lot of the products in this line is the flag of the thirteen colonies. The first original colonies are Profound Aesthetic's way of expressing their origins in New Jersey. The Americana theme is felt throughout the collection because of the cultural references to many different eras in American culture.

Sports Inspirations: Sticking with the general theme of Americana, Profound Aesthetic's creators draw inspiration in the things they enjoy. The football jerseys are made with top quality which could be felt with its weight. Iconic figures and designs are featured in their graphic t-shirts.

Profound Aesthetic, to say the least, is one big, beautiful paradox. Minimalistic designs with a maximum amount of detail. Historical references with a modern approach.

Special thanks to Kristina for giving us her time to answer our questions about their products. Check out their website at www.profoundaesthetic.com.

Bonus: Photo with the masterminds of Profound.

Spotlight: United By Blue

Neutral canvas and leather for a classic look.

The world used to be a smaller place 100 years ago or even 50 years ago but with the dawn of the internet age, information and knowledge become readily available to almost anyone who has access to the web. Along with the technological advance of people, the consequence sometimes amount to pollution of the environment. What does all this have to do with United By Blue you might ask? Well they are an apparel and accessories company who take pride in their environmentalist efforts and ideals.

They have clothes as well!

United By Blue is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and was established in 2010. The main focus of the company is to provide high quality goods with the environment in mind at all times. All materials used are organic, like for example, organic cotton canvas for their bags. While most production will be allocated to the US this coming Fall 2014, a few items like their wool socks (North Carolina) and the McKinley Coat (Tennessee) are produced in the USA.

The McKinley Coat is made in Tennessee, USA. Don't know if it's available in the store just yet

In addition to using organic materials in their products, they also will remove a pound of polluting waste from the coast in Philadelphia for every purchase of their product. This operation is done by the employees themselves, led by a team leader right from their offices. They will also work with any volunteers who are willing and they work with the municipality in Philadelphia to collect the waste. The company has collected over 100,000 pounds of waste from the seaside! If you are looking for the vintage-like look with neutral tones and leather accents, their bags are something you should really look into. Thanks for reading!

Bag detail.

Special thanks to Joanna at the (capsule) show for allowing us to take photos and speaking with us briefly about their company. The link to their website will be provided below.

unitedbyblue.com