I am often pitched by various companies to try out their wares and then tell everyone how much I loved them. While you do see the occasional product or brand review – usually not prompted by any product samples – trust me, there are far more that never make onto OTC. So when Casey from…
OTC: A Social Media Case Study? Yep.
My good friend David Wescott over at It’s Not A Lecture has turned Off The Cuff into a social media/blogging case study. Seriously. David is an online communications and issue management guru who works for a global PR firm. He clearly had some spare time on his hands a few days ago when he sat…
Style Profile: The Obama Effect
President Obama’s sense of style is back on the front burner – at least in DC. The Washington Examiner newspaper recently noted a fashion trend among the influential and political. They want to look like Barrack Obama. More specifically, they want to dress like him. While the classic dark two-button suit is about as de…
Style Guide: Casual is not Sloppy
Way back in the ‘80s getting dressed for the office, assuming you worked at an office, was fairly easy. It was a suit. Not a good suit mind you, but a suit. Boring shirt, forgettable tie and cap toe shoes. More often than not the whole outfit was forgettable because so little personality was evident….
The Brand of You (Part 2)
In Part One of this essay, we discussed some of the recent and dramatic changes that have set the concept and practice of brand loyalty on a dramatically new course. It’s still an ongoing shift, but the edges of the curve of the new pathway are becoming clearer. In plain terms, what is changing, and…
Skinny Jeans!
Are just wrong. At least for me. I don’t understand the appeal of trying to pour myself into jeans that are going to be uncomfortable and, frankly, make me look like I’m wearing some girl’s pants. Jeans’ inherent appeal is bound up in their utilitarian roots. Fashionable because of their very functionality, well-fitting jeans have…
The Brand of You (Part 1)
Brand allegiance is a funny thing. When it works well the customer clearly and deeply identifies with the brand. When it doesn’t work, more specifically when the brand lets the customer down in some way, the old loyalty can be almost impossible to win back. In menswear, brand loyalty has historically been a deep seated…
Filed Under "Wish I Could Make This"
Michael Williams, the maestro behind A Continuous Lean, without a doubt one of my favorite men’s lifestyle blogs, is hosting a pop-up flea market in New York this weekend. It actually kicks off tomorrow, from 4-8 p.m., so get there early. This is no ordinary flea market. With carefully selected items from great brands like…
Hold On, I’ll Be Right Back
As you may have noticed, it’s been a tad quiet here on OTC for the last few days. However, on the other side of the keyboard it’s actually been rather busy. The combination of a big deadline, a wedding anniversary (Eight years – I am a very lucky man) and a big furniture move have…
Repurposing: A Follow-Up
Just a quick note to point out that Off The Cuff made it to the big leagues, sort of. We were quoted in today’s Express newspaper’s Blog Log (page 36). For non-locals, Express is the very popular DC commuter newspaper published by the Washington Post. So in my own little world, I like to think…