Rockin' it in Reno

Fashion-wise, Reno was a complete success. We collected enough material for a slew of posts. Here is a quick look, though, at some of the sartorial high points of the competition. 

We were a bit jealous of all the fabulous warm-up gear. This one, far from the most elaborate, wins in the category of simple elegance.

This young lady gets major points for 
a) continuing the trending Mardi Gras color scheme (green, gold, purple)
b) ditto the ear candy
c) looking so incredibly cheerful

Major props to this gent for the most amazing color/pattern scheme of the weekend. Red, white and blue in leopard spots. Awesome.

You can't beat this pair for location-aware cos, though. 

Front AND back 

On second thought, maybe this gear is appropriate to any venues. After all, traveling all over the country for fencing competitions is a form of gambling, isn't it? 

Coordination

He even has American flag-patterned tip tape. What more could you add?

Mardi Gras on the Strip

Recent fashion scouting suggests that Mardi Gras colors (gold, purple, green) are a winning combination. Literally.

This is Scott Bell, kitted out in his tricolor ensemble after winning his "C" at a local competition.

I spotted this outfit at the Choco Therapy in Columbia, MD, last weekend. I believe the stylish gentleman rocking this outfit is Seth Daily, who took gold in combined foil. 

Maybe I should rethink my recent monochromatic approach...

In the Bag

People, there is no excuse for this.
















At the very least, a bag is a blank canvas waiting to capture the sum of your fencing experiences--where you have been, what you have done, what weapon you espouse.

My bag is easy to spot, natch

If you don't like the bumper sticker aesthetic, you can always go with an Etsy vibe

The crafty approach works pretty well for the weapon bag,

Or cute little bags for your body cords.













Not into crafting? Focus on practicality. Your bag can be ferociously well organized, as demonstrated by Mr. Ridley here:

Wow, this is like the California Closets of fencing bags.

Remember, your fencing bag is your traveling companion, your lifeline, your warehouse, armory, pantry, first aid station. Give it some attention, a little respect, lavish it with a modicum of creativity, and it will pay you back ten fold. 

And if all else fails, it makes a pretty good pillow, too.

Ear Candy

Allison and I have a little disagreement. Let's see where you weigh in.

She says the recent spate of noise canceling headphones spotted at fencing events doesn't count as a fashion trend--it's functional.

Photo E. Merritt, Milwaukee
NAC, 2012

I get the functionality, though much as I hate the incessant beeping of unhooked scoring boxes, not to mention the banshee wails of adolescent epeeists, I'd be afraid to sink too deeply into blessed silence for fear of missing a call to the strip.

However, given that some of the models I saw at the recent Milwaukee NAC (such as these Beats Studio Dr. Dre's), cost $200--I think there is a fashion statement being made here somewhere. (BTW, the Dre's also come in lime green, pink & electric blue. Match your club colors?) 

I remember not too long ago wearing an iPod mini with earbuds during warmup was THE mark of the cool kids. Maybe Dre headphones are an example of the Suessian Sneetches effect--as soon as enough people adopt the "latest thing" it's time to move on to the opposite. In this case, the biggest freakin' earpieces possible.

I won't dispute that these accessories contribute to the "cool" factor of some of the young bucks.

photo E. Merritt, Milwaukee
NAC, 2012

(Note this guy didn't actually have the headphones on his ears--because he was listening to the ref's instructions. Good on him.)

Frankly I'd been wondering how long it would take for headphones to take off in the fencing scene. During the last Summer Olympics, the swimmers attracted a lot of press for wearing fashionable ear candy. 

China's Sun Yang, men's 400m freestyle London 2012 Olympic Games
7/28/12 in London. He won gold.
AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GettyImages

(Since swimmers don't wear much, they have limited options for expressing their fashion sense. Then again, I always figured that very limitation accounts for at least some of swimming's popularity as a spectator sport. Yow.)

Michael Phelps wears a pair of headphones  before the men's
4 x 100m freestyle relay finals, 2012 Summer Olympics. Getty Images

New as the phenomenon of giant-headphones-on-fencers is, you can tell it has gone mainstream, if not become downright passé. How can I tell? The Vets have already adopted it.

Photo E. Merritt, Milwaukee NAC, 2012

(Hmm, why is it I'm ok asking Vets if I can take their pictures--they always cheerfully comply-- but I feel the need to sneak up to teenagers and take photos from the back or side? I think I have some shy issues to address here. I know it really is more polite to ask.)

Ah well. I feel the Fashionistas should experiment with this trend if we are really to understand it. 

So--what do you think? 

On Badges (and Badgers)

I have an awesome brother. Proof? Here he is cheering for me at the 2010 Cincinnati NAC.

Note the abstract simplicity of his badger poster. (Why "badger"? I didn't choose the nickname--it was bestowed by a teammate, and the only explanation he would offer is "it describes your fencing." This comment, after much mulling, resulted in my tag line, "Badgers: small, fierce, stubborn. Not too bright.") 

In any case, this year my bro continued his awesome streak with an Xmas present that consisted of--Badger Patches!

This gift also gave me the impetus I needed to post about badges in general--one of the most ubiquitous ways to liven up a uniform. 

There is a stunning array of badges at the average competition, and I've only begun to scratch the surface. Borges-like, I'm working on a benevolent taxonomy to organize this huge array. For example, badges can be:

A way to show identification and solidarity, uniting you to your teammates in the vast sea of competitors. This sleeve sports both country and club affiliations. (Hi, Three Rivers! You rock.)

While many club badges are minor variants on the theme of club name/weapon, some make epic leaps of creativity. Isn't the Savannah Fencing Club's patch GREAT?

And this SFC club member also sports a patch from my second category: badges as a way of expressing individuality. Smokey the Bear? Fencing? Why not. 

Smokey also demonstrates the power of badges to function as social objects--"engines of socially networked experiences, the content around which conversation happens." In other words, giving a shy person like myself the opening to meet someone by asking "hey, what's with the bear?" 

Last, and most poignantly, badges can memorialize, like this arm band worn by the New Mexico Fencing Club in memory of a lost teammate--Connor Porter. 

 

What a wonderful way to honor a young man's memory and celebrate his love of fencing. 

********

I am faced with the much less solemn task of deploying the badges my bro hunted down for me. One went straight onto the removable foil case from my Leon Paul equipment bag.

Others are going on my sleeve (I'm experimenting with placement. The lead patch will still be my club affiliation, Rockville Fencing Academy.)

Not even all these badgers can complete my badge ambitions, however. I still hope to find a copy of this patch to add to my collection: 

It celebrates a project that aspired to put a Linux-powered robotic marsupial on the moon. I think this is a suitable analogy for my fencing aspirations.

Do send me or Allison photos of your fencing patches--we would love to share them in a future post. 

Referee Runway Style

The December NAC in Milwaukee was fertile fashion ground. On my off day (and in moments snatched before and after competition) I cruised the venue, looking for innovation, humor and inspiration. I found plenty, which Allison and I will expand on in coming weeks.

First, referee fashion. Come to think of it, referees have almost as little scope for fashion flair as the fencers. The referee's handbook stipulates: 

"The uniform for men is a navy blue blazer, gray trousers, shirt and tie. The uniform for women is a navy blue blazer, gray skirt or slacks, and a blouse... It is requested that all referees wear appropriate shoes and leave athletic shoes to the athletes."

Bleah. No wonder a typical gathering of referees has all the visual interest of a flock of penguins

 

 But clearly some referees bring sartorial pride to the strip.

For example, the regs don't specify what KIND of tie

 

Bow ties are classy

Apparently there is also some leeway in interpreting "appropriate shoes"

 Well, these certainly aren't athletic shoes. Nice nail polish.(Did I feel stalkerish trying to photograph a referee's toes? Yes, yes I did.)

Pins also have great scope for spiffing up a drab blue blazer

 

(I particularly appreciated the addition of a little non-fencing related bling to the venue.)

But my vote for "Best Dressed Referee" for the December NAC goes to this gentleman

Can you tell me his name? I only wish I'd thought to ask him if his shirt had French cuffs. I suspect it did. 

Your pictures of referees' sartorial splendor most welcome. Post a link in comments, if your pic is up on Flickr, Instagram, etc. Or email me and I will include it in a future post.