Hello, Goodbye: The D. A. Pennebaker style of fashion editorial, courtesy of Paolo Roversi. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Headstrong: In praise of the watchcap. This one’s been a long time coming, but we’re not sure what it means for people with dishevelable hair. [Put This On]

Let’s Get Real: Eventually, someone was going to make a case for The Real Cancún as one of the great films of the decade. Salon has found that person. [Salon]

The Game Be the Game: A spoiler-packed, genuinely fascinating interview with The Wire’s David Simon. [Vice]

With the Trad’s clout at an all-time high, we thought we’d check in with one of Manhattan’s most scrupulous dandies, Mordechai Rubenstein a.k.a. Mister Mort. His latest project is a line of velvet bowties in conjunction with fellow trad Baron Von Fancy, popping up soon for a cool $80. They’re pre-tied to spare you the near-impossible task of knotting velvet, but otherwise they’re as impeccable a throwback as you could want for a holiday party, especially if you’ve got an undersized suit handy.

We’d rank Fantastic Mr. Fox as easily the best-dressed film of the year, but it looks like the academy is going to let this one slide. Unfortunately for the corduroy lovers of the world, Wes Anderson handled all the designs himself, so there’s no official costume designer for the movie and an Oscar nod is off the table. It’s the first time we’ve seen them penalize a director for being an auteur, but there’s always next time. Maybe he can nab a special achievement in back-split suits?

We Blame All Those A Single Man Junkets: Bulgari’s new campaign features a notable absence of jewelry. [Fashion Copious]

And Then There Were Nine: Alex Balk and Mary HK Choi discuss Nine, Penelope Cruz’s backside, and irresponsible sex hair. [The Awl]

Shapely Ties: Alexander Olch drops some tie science. [GQ Eye]

Knit Life: A peek into the marketplace/religion that is Etsy. [NYTimes]

Here’s one last piece of gift guidance before we call it a year: You can’t go wrong with chocolate. And rawer is always better.

CoolHunting rounds up a pretty good set here, but they leave off our favorite of the bunch, the famous Mast Brothers of Brooklyn. Known for their impressive beards and faculty with the chocolate arts, they’ve been one of the highlights of Williamsburg’s culinary scene for a while. Pick up a fleur de sal bar (possibly as a stocking stuffer) and you should be set.

The beloved Swedes at Fjällräven launched their eCommerce site last night, which means those ubiquitous backpacks are one step closer, and we finally got a chance to peruse some of their more functional items, like this Oban parka.

It’s the same waxed cotton that keeps the packs sealed up, but with a fuzzy inner shell warm enough to get you through a Scandanavian winter. It’s a lot more low-tech than it looks, which might be its biggest strength. After years of seeing Barbour on the backs of outdoorsy scenesters for so long, it’ll be nice to see a fresh Swedish version.

Rated R: Ms. Fenty graces the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly. [GQ]

Blue Man Group: Avatar is shaping up to be the feel-good cat people flick of the decade. [Vanity Fair]

On a Jet Plane: A gentleman’s guide to packing a suit. There are many folds, and they are all important. [Valet]

The Ninth Circle: A shadenfreude-filled stroll through the worst movies of the year. Megan Fox is well represented. [A.V. Club]

More fuel for the flecked sweater trend: They keep popping up at the world’s cooler boutiques.

Opening Ceremony, for example, just dropped the price on this speckled knit from the Tokyo-based Sabatino. At sale prices, it’s a good deal cheaper than the APC equivalent, and if you’re moved to jump on this particular bandwagon, it’s a pretty good place to start.

We’re entering the 11th hour of the gift guide roundup, but we’ve got a couple more that should be worth your while. You can see the full list here to catch up.

Temple specializes in deadstock WWII gear—mostly army green scarves and repurposed bags—but for their gift package, they had a very good idea: put it in a stocking. Specifically, it’s an army issue sock, with a wallet, keychain and a skeleton key necklace thrown in for good measure. It’s all good, rugged gear…and about as festive as military chic gets.

The clubmaster revival continues with Oliver Peoples’ latest campaign. We wouldn’t have pegged Elijah Wood as model material but he pulls off the wispy stubble look remarkably well, which is no mean feat. Yes, that’s Shirley Manson behind him and no, we’re not sure why either.

It’s a classic, but the Christmas sweater has its share of issues. Bright colors and big patterns? Sure. Baggy, shapeless wool? Not so much. We’d say an update is in order.

This Folk sweater just arrived (already on sale) at Bblessing, and while the window for wearing it is probably limited to the next three weeks, we can’t help but gawk a little. A standard downtown version of the classic item would have been interesting enough, but the real prize here is the Carmen-Miranda-meets-Space-Invaders pattern running across the arms in place of the usual fair isle variant. We bet it goes great with egg nog.

A Simpler Time: World’s Best Ever’s 80s girl roundup tragically leaves off a young Jennifer Connelly. [WBE]

From All-Stars to Rod Lavers: An illustrated history of the sneaker, detailed enough to let you pass freely among sneakerheads. [The Shoe Buff]

It was a Very Good Year: An edited compilation of the year’s best viral videos. Fair warning: There are a lot of cats. [Videogum]

Around the Horn: Ornette Coleman’s What I Have Learned might be the best one we’ve ever read. On the sex/love divide: “Well, you’re not always sure you’re in love. But when you’re having sex, there’s really no mistaking it.” [Esquire]

Artist and pamphleteer Will Bryant just posted this helpful silkscreened one-sheet (hat tip), drawing our attention to the aquatic capabilities of the fairer sex. Take it to heart, gentlemen.

It’s hard living in a post-Snuggie world. Every garment in the modern arsenal is in danger of being replaced by a fleece-stitched curio, emerging seemingly at random from the troubled collective consciousness. What rough beast slouches towards QVC to be born?

This time, it’s called the Neckie, and it solves the intractable problem of loose, dangling scarves, prone to getting stuck in car doors, dangling loosely out of jackets, and (presumably) catching on fire near open flames. The solution? A fully adjustable fuzz bib. Also available in leopard print.

We could say something here about how the loose scarf ends are ideal for plugging up topcoat seams, how a little roaming bulk can come in extremely handy when winter sets in…but somehow, we doubt prospective Necky customers will listen to reason. Just say no, kids.

The face of the enemy»

The khaki pant has gotten a rough shake over the past couple decades, but if you go back far enough, it was every bit as rough and tumble as denim. To the archives!

Fortunately for connoisseurs of indestructible clothing, Nom de Guerre has a pretty good recreation in stock—which just happens to be on sale at Context. It’s essentially dyed Japanese selvage denim, but the cut and the archival quality gives it a little more history than your average hipster jean. There’s even a cinching strap in the back for an extra bit of retro flair—another touch that would be out of place on the indigo version—but the fabric is the same stiff, raw weave you’d find at higher end jean shops. Well played, gentlemen.

Heart of Stone: To the applause of the masses, Lara Stone takes over for Madonna as the scantily clad figure in well-lit print ads. [Luxist]

So Hot Right Now: The monocle trend—also known as Klink-chic—is apparently sweeping the west coast. Maybe driven by the magazine? [All the Rage]

The Doorman Will Thank You: Emily Post advises on matters of holiday tipping. [Lifehacker]

Two States: The designer of the 50 state American flag has just passed away. Perhaps an Americana tribute is in order? [Unbeige]

It’s tough to pull off a pocket square without coming off like a trad, but if you choose wisely, it can give a staid suit some much-needed playfulness. Our advice: nothing too flashy and per A Suitable Wardrobe, stay away from silk.

Which is why a touch of homemade can be extremely useful. Like cufflinks, this is an instance where you may find the best stuff on Etsy. These cotton squares range from chambray and navy stripe to more complex graphic patterns—depending on your irony tolerance—any one of which would go over pretty well at a holiday party, if tucked into an appropriately rugged blazer.

It’s been a while, but we’re ready to call trend on a new item: the flecked sweater.

The look’s been building steam for a while, most notably in the marled sweater resurgence that popped up last fall, but between this autumn-hued jumper in APC’s latest shipment, and this Utility Coop crew neck, along with earlier entries from Our Legacy and Paul Smith, pushes it over the threshold into trendhood. Four’s a trend, right?

Naturally, we’re in favor. Sweaters can always use a bit of texture, and giving a contrast color just means more to look at. The APC jumper is the most extreme of the lot but we’d more conservative versions to keep their sheen long after they’ve stopped being hip. And in the meantime, a static-dappled crew neck should be the right kind of eye-catching.