Little Miss Matched, our sock drawer needs you

This original idea -- selling three socks in a box, none of which go with each other -- is more than a solution to the classic problem of getting dressed in the morning. Little Miss Matched broke away from symmetry, the basis of every design no matter how hip you think you are.

Seth notes that Little Miss Matched, which has expanded to women's clothing and skateboards, just cleared $17 million in funding and a big deal with Macy's.

Love the idea. What could YOU do to turn your own industry upside down? How could you solve needs in a new way? And can you please help us business guys get dressed too?

Dammit, Advergirl. We'll never wear black socks again.

Are you about to meet with an agency team? Advergirl, aka Leigh Householder, advises you to size up ad agency personae by the types of socks they wear. Brilliant! For example, here is how she suggests you judge an agency sort who wears black socks.

Chances are you're talking to the new biz guy. Used to spending his day traveling from one cliché corporate headquarters to another, he's mastered the skill of the chameleon - blending in to his environs as if he had been there all along. Save the snazzy socks for those arty guys.

But, there's a chance, too, that you're dealing with the most treacherous kind of ad guy: the irrelevant middle manager who doesn't yet know he's irrelevant. This guy had a good year. An incredible year. A year that has made the agency loyal to him. Sadly, that year was over a decade ago. And since then, things have been ... well, slow and sometimes, frankly, embarrassing. But, like the aging athlete who once won the big game in high school, this guy still believes he's in the glory years. Align with him and take on all his gossipy baggage as your very own.

To tell the difference between these basic blacks, check the shoes. The new biz guy's will be plain and shiny. The irrelevant middle manager, genuinely bad. Possibly even striking a jarring and unpleasant contrast to his pants.

We're pleased to see our horizontal stripes make us the closer and strategist. Or, perhaps just a narcissist with funny-looking feet.

(Photo: Twenty Questions)