As a matter of fact, it happened around December 20th - but by the time I've gotten around to posting about it now, the number is above 28,000! Thank you to each and every one of my visitors. I know it sounds cliché, but it really doesn't seem so long ago that I sat down in front of my computer, uploaded the "Arthemia Magazine" template, and started ranting about clothes. So where did all those hits come from? Here's a list of the Top 10 most-viewed entries.

10. JFK, Mad Men, and Vintage Americana

Some thoughts on the eternal elements of the Western man's wardrobe and the everything-old-is-new-again nature of fashion.

9. True Prep Press Roundup & My Initial Thoughts

Initial impressions based on press coverage prior to the release of Lisa Birnbach's True Prep.

8. True Prep Signing Report, Plus A Long-Overdue Review

After meeting Lisa Birnbach at a True Prep book signing in Toronto, my review of the book, and a consideration of what "true prep" really means.

7. And One Quick Supplement on the Clothes of Glee...

A brief addendum to the entry immediately preceding it. Probably ranks this high because of the very large image of Sebastian Smythe (played by Grant Gustin) featured in it.

6. The Five Things Every Man Needs to Know About Suit Shopping

One of my very first posts, and an example of a recurring theme: the tragic number of men who buy suits that look like shit, just because they don't know what they're doing.

5. "Meet the Hilfigers": Tommy's Fall 2010 Campaign

It's not very often that I post about really current goings-on, but I found this campaign exceptionally endearing. It has, in fact, continued since Fall 2010; I should probably try to cover the new stuff too!

4. Where Can I Find Men's Velvet Slippers?

A successful experiment in targeting a particular entry's topic at search keywords that have brought people to the blog. After a brief mention of velvet slippers in a late-2010 entry (which is #2 on this list), it seemed that people really wanted more information on this elusive trendy-yet-crotchety item.

3. The Clothes of Glee

A product of a Glee obsession which I've mostly gotten over at this point. Hat-tip to Fashion of Glee for originating the concept, and rewarding a couple of my contributions to their list with reciprocal links. ;)

2. Dress Better This Holiday Season (Advanced Edition)

Unfortunately, I posted this entry on Boxing Day 2010, which meant its useful life for that year was pretty much over. But I expected that the traffic would probably pick up towards the end of 2011, and I was right. I'm quite proud of this entry, because it's not only useful for the holiday season, but all year round.

1. The Clothes of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The granddaddy, the king, with nearly eight times as many hits as the next closest contender, this is unquestionably the most popular item I've ever written. It's also one of the most thoughtful and articulate, so I can be unabashedly proud that it's become so popular. I'd like to do more entries on the significance of wardrobe in Hollywood movies... Inception, anyone?

I've got a couple of surprises in the works to mark this milestone, which I'll be posting in the next week or so, but I can also make a small announcement today: Threads Count is now on Twitter! For links, photos, and thoughts that aren't big enough to warrant a blog entry, look no further than

http://twitter.com/threads_count

I anticipate being able to tweet more frequently than I can post full entries to the blog (although I will tweet each new blog entry as well). So I hope to see you there!

The Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prohibition Act, S. 3728, is a piece of U.S. legislation created to protect innovative fashion designs from being copied (knocked off/pirated) before their creators can legitimately profit from them. It's the successor to the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which had been before Congress in 2008/2009. The IDPPPA still needs to be voted on in both the House and Senate, as well as receive presidential signature, before it becomes law.

[Forgive me if this part gets a little technical; I am, after all, a lawyer by trade.] The bill proposes a short, 3-year term of protection for truly novel and innovative fashion designs. (Old designs will remain unprotected.) It would amend chapter 13 of the U.S. Copyright Act, which currently applies only to vessel hulls. Designers will not be required to register designs in order for them to be protected, which makes the protection more in the nature of copyright than of patent or trademark; however, the standard for a design to be found infringing is one of being "substantially identical" to the original, which standard is more or less borrowed from trademark law.

Big deal, you say. Why should I pay $300 for something when somebody else is selling something virtually identical for $30? Because, when someone copies a new fashion design, they are depriving the original designer of the ability to profit from selling the design, and those profits are necessary to ensure that the designer's business remains financially viable. It's the same basic principle as patent law: if you don't stop people from stealing inventions, nobody will want to invent because they can't make any money doing it (not to mention recouping their development costs), and society as a whole will be disadvantaged by a lack of new innovations.

I could talk about this for hours. It's such a fascinating area of law to me. Thanks to Susan Scafidi of the fashion/law blog Counterfeit Chic for keeping us updated on this legislation. Click here to read her update on the current status of the bill, and click here for her summary of the bill's provisions.

In the footsteps of their past designer collaborations, H&M will be releasing its latest, with Lanvin, on November 20th in select stores. British GQ.com has exclusive photos and an interview discussing the collection right here.

Brand new today from Brooks Brothers, the Home Collection is available exclusively online and features bedding, towels, bathrobes, slippers, and decorative pillows. I'm absolutely in love with the repp-striped cushions! Well... with everything, actually.