Red, White, and Blue for the Gold

The Rio 2016 Olympics are right around the corner, so its time to start harnessing our patriotic nature for what is proving to be one of the most anticipated, albeit controversial, olympics to date. There may not be as many watch parties as there would be for domestic events like the Super Bowl or World Series, but this is a two-week long event in which an American should be competing in every day of, so we all have every reason to rock our best version of Old Glory! You can get a few ideas of what to wear from my Independence Day Selects post to really get your style tuned in. 

At the Office

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This look is perfect for casual Fridays or a progressive office that is lean on dress code.

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Power suit for a powerful cause. You'll feel and look as good as our athletes do in competition. 

I don't usually do clothing grids, but considering the heat index today was hovering around 105 degrees, I opted to try something a little different to avoid sweating through my suits and sport coats.

Casual Outings

Just Beachy

You'll notice that we have a new addition to the blog; the tall, beautiful blonde happens to be my sister, Kelsey. I'd like to thank her for not only helping with the photography, but also participating in the shoot with some looks of her own (Check her out @kpear8 on Instagram). These are just some ideas to get your mind thinking about what you can do with your current wardrobe to sport our colors proudly and in style, so get creative and support the USA all Olympics long!

Tech Time: Farmbot

Agriculture is one of those skills that just seems to escape my grasp; I understand its importance and that water, sun, and time are the key ingredients, but I still manage to botch all my green-thumb activities.  There's a certain satisfaction that must come with growing your own food and consuming products that you had a part in creating, knowing where it came from and how it was produced also adds some peace of mind. For those of you like me that don't seem to have this skill, I'd like to show off the Farmbot. This marvel of technology and robotics operates on any sized patch of soil to efficiently grow enough green goods to feed you for a year. The single arm setup waters, seeds, and even pulls weeds with the assistance of an-board camera, making the most of a very minimal construction. The companion app has some nifty features like a drag-and-drop plot map thats just like Farmville, adjustable watering schedules, and remote monitoring while you're away (just in case your plants develop locomotive skills). The Farmbot software is all open source, so the only cost to you is the Farmbot kit that will sell for $3900, but for the rest of July preorders, is at an attractive $2900 price tag. Think of all the money you'll be saving by growing all of your own produce over the course of the year, the value is there. Heres to welcoming in the future with Farmbot! 

Haute Hawaiian ft. Sebago

The true hallmark of Summer style is being able to break free from the conservative confines of navy, grey, stripes, and plaid to veer towards the more adventurous side of menswear. With the recent resurgence of 60's and 70's style, one of the most popular items of the season has become the Hawaiian shirt, a true classic. The pattern and multicolored nature of this shirt gives it a great deal of versatility when it comes to pairing and can even provide an opportunity to create compelling color stories within one outfit. My shirt features an almost contradictory palette of earth tones based in brown and I chose to elevate the look by adding in dress slacks and some classic penny loafers from Sebago USA. This rig is the swiss army knife of warm weather, suitable for any occasion from a brunch date to a night on the town and everything in between; I might also mention that you'll be supremely comfortable throughout as well.

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These shoes, provided by Sebago, are the quintessential penny loafer in an antique brown finish, which features the perfect vamp and authentic toe box stitching that we all look for. The patent leather is a nice touch stylistically, but it also adds a level of water resistance that is needed in the unpredictable South Florida climate I live in. As the warm weather subsides and autumn begins, these loafers will be your go to for transitioning between the seasons, paired with dark denim and a not-so-crisp oxford for a preppy look or with cropped trousers and a sharp polo for a more European vibe. I definitely recommend you pick up your own pair HERE, at a price of $140, its hard not to.

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