Clothes Whores Pet Peeve No. 9: Unnecessary Mardi Gras beads

I blame the liquor companies.

See, beer and liquor reps and their distributors are always dreaming up new promotional schwag to hand out in bars and at concerts. I still see Jäger Girls from time to time. I have a Bacardi key chain. I light my other people’s cigarettes with a Red Stripe lighter. I’m not complaining, but I’m basically displaying probable cause for a vehicle search for open containers 24/7.

However, I think this is how people end up wearing stupid shit like Mardi Gras beads outside of February, where Mardi Gras beads belong. It must have started with the liquor reps and went on to infect party favor manufacturers of all stripes. And now, suddenly, you’ll be watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade or at a Halloween party, and you’ll look down, and dammit, there they are. Beads.

That’s what happened to Neelay Shah the other night at the soft opening for Method, a men’s clothing boutique (is there a manly word for “boutique”?) at 15th and Grand, which is scheduled to open for reals on April 17.