Whit Honea is a slacker, a borderline degenerate, and a daydream believer. He's also our resident expert on casual chic. If it's comfortable, and not heinous, he's all over it. He's quite charming, really.

Crooked Monkey Funny t-shirts is living the dream. The clothing company was formed by two buddies in 2005 and quickly shot through the ranks of the t-shirt elite. Within two years they were being featured in GQ magazine and popular stores like "Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, Kitson, ShopIntuition.com, Fred Segal and over 550 other fine retailers across the world (including Japan, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia)."

As our mothers would say to us when we would get into fights with our siblings: "Do unto others as you would like done to yourself."

Staying true to this life mantra, Urban Outfitters has announced it will be partnering with jeweler Erickson Beamon for an exclusive collection the will be sold in its UK stores -- much like the diffusion line Bee 23, Anna Sheffield's more affordable collection of downtown cool metal earrings and necklaces that will make their grand debut stateside this fall.

Trends: We understand them, we sometimes despise them, we've tried a few out, and lost a friend or two in the process of finding our signature style. So, we fault no one who felt compelled to walk around in head-to-toe acid washed denim outfits, way too much blush, and big hair back in the 80s.

It was really, really cool -- at the time.

In fact, we imagine when people first laid eyes upon the new "hi-tech" and "chemically enhanced" special jeans it was similar to our reaction when first saw Kate Moss frolicking around London in a peculiar-looking pair of stove pipes: initially shocked, but ultimately wanted to get a pair before any of our friends caught on.

Urban Outfitters has made some guy a boatload of money by hocking t-shirts that fall into that narrow, frivolous space between jaded and offensive. It's a delicate art that requires finding slogans or concepts that seem controversial, yet they're still meaningless enough to avoid getting anyone's panties in a wad. Fake controversy -- that's how you build an edgy t-shirt empire.

Pissing off Jews and pro-Israel people, on the other hand, is not a good business plan at all. That's why UO was quick to pull this t-shirt from its stores and website when it noticed a sh*tstorm of real controversy building over what exactly the gun-toting Palestinian kids were supposed to mean. The designer -- LA-based Freshjive -- is apparently getting its mailboxes flooded with emails calling it anti-semitic and 'jew-hating.' We think it safe to say that this design is a lot too close to totally inflammatory.

What surprises us is that neither Freshjive or UO realized that this shirt would get people all riled up. Have you ever tried to bring up the Palestinian Conflict in light conversation? Neither have we.

[via Fashionista]

You're an ultra left-wing radical college student who excels at purchasing snarky t-shirts and the latest clearance items at Urban Outfitters. Guess what? You are the total opposite of the guy who runs the thriving U.O. empire. He's a picture perfect example of The Man. If you find this shocking -- what world are you living in?

Richard Hayne, President of Urban Outfitters, is like the anti-Dov Charney. Rumor has it that he's an uber-conservative square who donates money to people like George Bush -- he definitely donated to homophobic former senator Rick Santorum. Apparently, some people around the blogoshpere think that he's hiding his image to keep from ruing the company.

We hate to break it to them, but we think the reason people shop at UO is the clothes. Whoever runs the thing, they still sell fashionable/controversial/snarky junk. So he used to be a hippie when he founded the company back in 1970. So what?

[via Racked]

So your eyes need a little help, huh? Don't be miffed that you need glasses -- celebrate! This gives you a whole extra accessory to wear! Especially if you just need reading glasses and don't have to wear a specific prescription -- reading glasses are not terribly expensive, and you can find some amazing frames to show off your personal style.

We've talked before about the importance of sunglasses in the extremely limited world of men's fashion accessories. During the summer, sunglasses become part of your everyday outfit. While we'd usually recommend investing in the coolest pair of shades you can find, we know what life is like for men's sunglasses -- and rarely do they last long enough to get your $200 worth.

Cheap sunglasses are an absolute must for summer. Bend em, break em, scratch the lenses, drop them in the lake -- who cares? They only set you back a few bucks. Even if you do want to spend the big money on a pair of designer shades, it's always good to have backups to take to the beach. Whether you're looking for aviators, wayfarers, or wrap-arounds, there are plenty of good-looking frames for under $20.

The sun has finally broke through all of those dark gray skies, and its beaming rays have allowed us to finally rock our over-priced sunglasses and adorable wedges.

But, unfortunately, it's also shined a light onto our toenails, which are in dire need of a new paint job. So, the news about Urban Outfitters launching a nail polish couldn't have come at a better time because not only do we love to experiment with our nail color, but we also love it when we can do it for cheap.

We've always been a fan of the floral pattern for men's shirts, sort of. We'll qualify that by saying that we totally denounce most Hawaiian patterns and all patterns that include pink roses that look like they've been lifted off an ugly 80's couch. That narrows it down, right?

Men's floral patterns are coming back, but it's mostly limited to the tight, monochromatic vintage styles. You know, the ones that you could kinda convince yourself that they're not actually flowers, but maybe just flower-like plants -- because they're so small. They're a great way to bring some color and rhythm into your wardrobe without having to go plaid -- not that there's anything wrong with plaid.



[via SeeJackShop]

It looks like someone is feeling the pressure to compete in this wild, wild, fast fashion market.

Much like Target and H+ M, Urban Outfitters has been itching to get its hands on a few designers to lure hip boys and girls on budget into its chain stores.

Famous photographer and surfer, Aaron Chang, loves a sexy beach babe in a bikini (who doesn't?). Apparently, he also has a deep love of the eco-friendly clothing. After an overwhelmingly positive response to his 100% recycled plastic fabric swimwear, he's decided to convert his whole lineup to the recycled stuff.

To look at them, you'd never know that these styles were made out of recycled soda bottles -- and of course that's good. Earth Day is smack in the middle of swimsuit buying season, so why not use it as an excuse to buy a new swimsuit. Rumor has it that Aaron's recycled bikini lineup is heading to a Urban Outfitters this summer.



[via CatwalkQueen]

For those interested in the fashion of politics, not only does Urban Outfitter have a collection of hilarious political t-shirts for you, but they've also got a political blog. Why would a lifestyle brand like Urban Outfitters want to take a journey into the seedy world of politics? It's hard to say really -- unless it's a bid to get one of the candidates to let UO design their campaign propaganda.

From what we can tell, the blog is about as jaded as their goofy political clothing -- too disenchanted and business-savvy to be very partisan. Most of what you'll find is surprisingly unrelated to fashion -- stuff like news, book recommendations, and candidate portraits done on Etch-a-sketch. Some of it is actually funny, but really, isn't this a bit of a stretch for a hipster department store? It just shows how far companies are going these days to build their brand.

Now hipsters can use sex to sway political opinion -- just like the grown-ups! [Damn I Like That!]

Save $15 on purchases over $100 at Bluefly. Sweet. [Budget Fashionista]

Alexander McQueen is way too self-important artistic for schmoozing, celebrities, and promoting himself. So much so, that he hopes Paris Hilton won't show up at the opening of his new LA store. Zing. Kind of. [Catwalk Queen]

A bunch of fully-clothed women freak out like they're suddenly naked in public. It's an ad for Downy Softener, and it's surprisingly funny. [Trend Hunter]

Eco-friendly fashion is lame and expensive. [Second City Style]

Finally! Now women can pee on the go. [Jezebel]

Lately I've been noticing a new V-neck cut and -- surprising as it to for me to say this -- I'm not sure that I like the look. Apparently, the cooler you are, the deeper you V-neck is cut -- I saw a lot of this last week at SXSW. And while I totally understand and applaud the move to make the V-neck a sexier look for women, I'm equally and oppositely annoyed by the deep cut for men.

Whether or not women think chest hair is sexy is their own business, but out in public, the chest hair thing is not becoming. It's just not. That's why dudes wear shirts in the first place. I'm a huge fan of the old school V-neck, it fits more comfortably and gives you some more ventilation -- it's great. But is anybody really excited about the chest hair look coming back?

For guys, this new cut kind just looks proportionally out of whack to me -- like someone grabbed you by the shirt collar and stretched it out while giving you a serious tongue-lashing. If you're a male t-shirt investor, I'd hold off on the deep V for a while and see if it catches on. You never know, maybe the U-neck will be the next big thing. Then, there you'd be with a dorky super deep V-neck. That would suck.

If you're so political that you want to make sure people know where you stand -- even while walking around in your pajamas -- then Stubbs and Wootton have the slippers for you!

Their classic design with velvet black and a black heel and sole as well, can now be embroidered in gold with either the republican or democratic party symbols -- an elephant and a donkey, respectively.

But, being outspoken is going to cost you. These slippers will set you back $395.00. Forget getting them as a Christmas gift, maybe it's better that Grandpa buys these bad boys for himself!

If you're not 95 years old and are looking for a significantly cheaper (and hipper) way to share your views with the world, Urban Outfitters has t-shirts for under $30 that are way more fun than these slippers! Browse the gallery to see if they have anything that fits your political leanings.

My personal favorite says, "Screw the war, let's dance." Because really, wouldn't the world be a better place if we all took the time to stop and smell the roses get down and boogie every once in a while?