A Site for Sore Eyes

My name is Christen Gruebel and I have Computer Rage.
Though I can keep it at an appropriate-for-the-office level (hence, I tap the mouse irritatedly without throwing and breaking it), I have had my moments.

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I’m Switzerland

A morning trip to the eye doctor means I can’t technically see that well right now, which should make this blog post extremely interesting for everyone involved, particularly the poor soul who has to proofread this.
Anyway, so I’m working on a feature for our upcoming issue on products made in the USA, and that old Dave Mason song just kept going through my head: “There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys, it’s only you and me and we just disagree.”

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Shape Up or Ship Out

Something very exciting is happening. Or, at this point, it’s already happened, but on the first day of PPAI, when it hadn’t happened yet, I had that static electricity feeling that something big was about to happen. My esteemed colleagues and I were on tap to help announce the creation of the industry’s first Quality Certification Alliance. And I was excited.

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Boy, Are My Arms Tired

Just got back from ASI Orlando and I’m grudgingly accepting that it is indeed still winter. The show was great, and unlike last year (when global warming played a nasty little trick on us and made it 40 degrees), the weather was just gorgeous.
It was a nice way to ease back into the traveling whirlwind that is January and February—my feet are now primed and ready for PPAI next week, that’s for sure. I’m still a little foggy from the lack of weekend (you can’t have everything, I guess), so I’m a little short on repartee. I hope you understand.
Instead, let

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Three Cheers for Roy

Remember when you were a kid in elementary school and you learned about colors? I always loved the “Roy G. Biv” acronym, because it made me think of a gentleman wearing a rainbow suit. Then again, maybe he was someone who just hung out under a rainbow or in the general vicinity of one. Actually, I can’t exactly recall what I thought, but I was clearly preoccupied with rainbows.
In honor of my old friend Mr. Biv, I was really psyched to write December’s color trend preview. This is the second year in a row that I snagged the assignment, and it’s kinda

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Go Ballistic

Here’s a little news you can use: A few months ago, London retail giant Harrods began selling a new line of bulletproof clothing from designer Miguel Caballero. Talk about performance benefits! Move over, moisture-wicking. This is so James Bond.

It can resist Uzi shots. I have nothing more to say about that special feature, other than to emphasize: It can resist Uzi shots.

The catch? The polo costs $12,000. But something tells me that if you’re in the position to be shot at more than once—predicaments which would necessitate the use of a bulletproof polo shirt—it might be worth it. Think price-per-wear.

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Make Mine a BPA

Like lead before it (and we all know how that turned out), bisphenol A is taking its turn in the spotlight, decked out in misinformation and escorted by ongoing controversy. Welcome to the party.
Before last week, it would seem the FDA had pretty much put this one to rest. But it didn’t really go away. In fact, it was really only a matter of time before someone brought this up again, and courtesy of The Washington Post, bring it up they did. Though I realize that, as a reporter, I “dig” for a living, it doesn’t take a backhoe to unearth that the

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Comfort for the World-Weary

The election is a mere week away and it seems to be bringing out the worst in people. Palin in a noose as part of a Halloween display? A plot to assassinate Obama? It’s terrifying, regardless of what side of the coin you’re on. How, exactly, did things go so awry? It seems the proverbial you-know-what has hit the you-know-what.
I’ve always been interested in the goings-on of the government, but I’ve never felt so deeply invested in what’s been happening in our country than I do right now. And the hits just keep on coming.
There’s the economy, of course. Though it pains

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The Blacklist

A short while after the infamous and tragic Hollywood blacklist began to slowly unravel, another was in its infancy. This list, albeit less sinister and more shallow, was perhaps equally reviled and much more long-standing. Depending on how you define the word “law,” it, too, had to do with flouting some serious violations. Style violations, that is.
In 1960, designer, and one could say, professional judger Richard “Mr.” Blackwell, threw down the gauntlet against high crimes of fashion with his first “10 Worst-Dressed Women” list. Though his turns of phrase were unerringly salty (personal faves: “a trio of truck stop fashion tragedies” and

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