http://www.isnare.com/?s=author&a=James+Brooks Culture James Brooks Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=893182&ca=Culture We’re all familiar with the narrative of denim, of how it became the clothing of choice of the workforce who made an industrialised nation of the USA in a couple of generations. We’re also familiar with the way denim jeans became an item of fashion, rebellion and rock’n’roll garb that has remained w... Culture James Brooks Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=893196&ca=Culture It’s a strange name, petticoat. If you knew no better (for example if you were brought up in a colony populated solely by males) you might even think it’s something worn on the top half of the body like other coats. But the word coat used to have a much more general meaning, namely clothing or cover... Culture James Brooks Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1529265&ca=Culture We take sportswear for granted nowadays to the point where only a fraction of the clothing made by the big sportswear manufacturers is actually bought for performing athletic activities. Walk into a modern sports retailer and you’ll see hundreds of types and brands of trainers, tops, caps and trouse... Food and Drinks James Brooks Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=849760&ca=Food+and+Drinks Coffee machines come in all shapes and sizes. From small stove-top devices like the classic Italian mocha pot to fully automated bean-to-cup machines that seem to be able to make any type of coffee-based drink at the touch of a button. Not so long ago the highest aspirations anyone in the UK had for... Culture James Brooks Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=836679&ca=Culture Try and look at a picture of a Hawaiian shirt without the opening strains of "Surfin’ USA" twanging into your mind. Or maybe, depending on your mood, the image might throw up something mellower, "California Girls" or "God Only Knows". Yes, the Californians of the 60s and 70s sure knew how to pull of... Culture James Brooks Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=812775&ca=Culture Jeans have got themselves a reputation for being a kind of everyman wear, demonstrating as they do the working class status of those who originally wore them. But really, it is the humble pair of dungarees that is the real working class hero. These garments were utilitarian and hard wearing enough t... Culture James Brooks Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=812791&ca=Culture Playsuit. Was there ever a word in the annals of fashion history that conjures up such raunchy images of debauchery and mischief? OK, catsuit would probably count. And jump suit? Let’s not go there. But the reality is actually quite tame and potentially rather chic, as far as the mainstream market i... Culture James Brooks Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=776116&ca=Culture OK, I misquote the venerable Mr Holly Johnson there by a letter or two, but this image of the American man's way of dress doesn't really seem to apply any more. Jeans in particular are the item of clothing that have most been associated with USA popular culture, from rock'n'roll to the hippy movemen... Business James Brooks Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=769302&ca=Business For those self-employed professionals who work on a freelance or contract basis, the IR35 rules have perhaps been a thorn in their side, complicating the landscape and making operating as a self-employed person less rewarding and more protracted than it might otherwise have been. To understand the l... Womens Interest James Brooks Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=742217&ca=Womens+Interest If you’ve got nothing to say, goes the adage, wear a big hat. The same advice is also given to people who are unable or unwilling to fight. Either way, hats are being used as some sort of protection or diversion. But is this really all hats are useful for? Of course not. Hats can be anything from a...