May 24, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
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05/24/13
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Touring The Barbour Factory, Ralph Lauren’s New Denim Shop and The Real-Deal Bleeding Madras

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Barbour Shop Quartet: A Continuous Lean takes a behind the scenes look at how Barbour makes their highly coveted outerwear.

BYO Sailboat: Valet finds some timely summer style inspiration in one of the best who’s ever done it: John F. Kennedy.

Supply and Demand: GQ gets a first look at Ralph Lauren’s latest brick and mortar for the newly minted Denim & Supply.

Mad Game: Put This On finds a stash of vintage bleeding madras—the good old stuff that would actually get ruined in the wash… in a good way.

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05/23/13
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Big Picture

Marisa Miller Is a Road Warrior

Marisa Millervia Popoholic

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05/23/13
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Labeled

Unis Goes Short

Unis

Consider this a late-breaking addition to our great moments in shorts…

Because we may have finally found the perfect pair of summer shorts, by way of menswear blogger darling label Unis: the Emmett.

Unis basically took the label’s highly coveted Gio pants and cut them off at the exactly appropriate length—baring just enough knee to keep things interesting, while not going full-on Larry Bird. Most importantly, the short pants retain the casually tailored-ness and Italian cotton of their forefather.

Take a few more looks at the shorts after the jump.»
 

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05/23/13
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Object

It’s a Bottle Opener… and Closer

Bottle opener

We have it on good authority that you’re going to be in need of a bottle opener this weekend…

A solid bottle opener has to do one thing really well: open your beer bottle. Anything after that is just bells and whistles—the scrimshaw handle or the lucky deer’s foot—unless, of course, you’ve got a Monopol Hermetus that’s just landed at Kaufman Mercantile.

It’s got the “opening bottles” thing down, but a neat trick is that the handle slides snugly onto your bottle top, sealing off your beer. Meaning that if you’re manning the grill and need to set your beer down in an area highly prone to tipping over, you’re not spilling a drop. (It also comes in handy for keeping large-format beers fresh over a prolonged tasting session.) Plus, if you need to step away from your bottle for a quick dip, you’ll know which one was yours when you return.

Take a look at the Hermetus in action, after the jump.»
 

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05/23/13
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Conscious Summer Footwear, Carson Street Clothiers Gets Its Close-Up and the Ferragamo Comic Book

Sneakers

Kicking Cotton: Well Spent rounds up the finest in ethically sourced summer sneakers.

All #Menswear Bros Lead To: Carson Street Clothiers gets the Critical Shopper treatment from the Times.

Summer Total: Vanity Fair rounds up your 50 summer essentials, should you need a place to start restocking.

Dream Weaver: Ferragamo has turned the story of its founder into a graphic novel, reports Esquire.

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05/22/13
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Big Picture

Emma McVey Is Playing “Good Cop” Today

Emma McVeyvia Chris Conway

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05/22/13
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Labeled

The New Summer Whites

Unionmade

Perfectly timed for the opening of summer-whites season in a few short days, San Francisco’s menswear golden child Unionmade has unveiled their latest star-studded capsule collection.

You might be familiar with their cult-followed Indigo collection from the past two falls, but this time they’ve turned to the lighter side of the spectrum—in terms of both colors and materials. And instead of the traditional bright summer white, the fabrics are left undyed in their natural states, which range from starchy to creamy. Consider it California’s laid-back answer to tennis whites. The list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of menswear favorites, from Alden to Filson to Gitman Vintage—covering every article of clothing your sand-toned summer might require. Even a few bowls and an apron.

In case you’re still looking for the perfect barbecue apron.

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05/22/13
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What's What

Making the Most of Memorial Day

Drinking Games

There is no better season for drinking during the day than the summer.

Fine, spring is pretty great, too. And yeah, spiked cider in fall definitely doesn’t suck. But winter… all right, winter too has its perks. So let’s rephrase: there’s no better season for drinking and getting tan than the summer.

Traditionally, Memorial Day is when it all starts. Sure, maybe it’s not officially summer, but with a cooler of beer, good friends, good music and an entire farm’s worth of barbecue, it sure as hell does feel like it. Though like all good things, winning this glorious three-day jaunt requires some solid forethought. Luckily for you, we’ve done it already.

So settle in, crack open a cold one and listen up as we lay out the finer points of this weekend’s impending festivities…»
 

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05/22/13
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Ovadia & Sons’ New Looks, 10 Reasons Vintage Clothes Suck and Visiting LEGO Baseball Stadiums

Ovadia

Standing O: GQ gets an exclusive first look at the latest crop of handsomeness from the brothers Ovadia. (It does not disappoint.)

Certified Pre-Owned: Despite what heritage-obsessed bloggers (and Macklemore) might have you believe, buying vintage clothes can be a total crapshoot—and Four Pins has had enough of the glad-handing.

Batter Up: The Louisville Slugger factory has just opened a new exhibit featuring some impressive LEGO renditions of MLB’s most iconic stadiums (and, curiously, Derek Jeter’s face).

Polos on Polos on Polos: Esquire reports on the hotly anticipated polo shirts from Michael Bastian that have just hit Uniqlo’s webshop.

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05/21/13
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Kendra Spears Has Invented a New Yoga Pose

Kendra Spearsvia Fashion Gone Rogue

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05/21/13
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What's What

A Pop-Culture History of Men and Shorts

Vacation

The prospect of celebrating summer’s inaugural weekend might have you toying with the idea of spending the entire three days in a pair of shorts (especially if you plan on being poolside the whole time).

But going pantsless is a deceptively tricky move—wrought with pitfalls and misconceptions.

More often than not, they’re considered a necessary evil. Tom Ford famously said that a man should never wear them. Inevitably, someone will rib you with that moldy chestnut about never taking a man in shorts seriously. But in the right hands—er, on the right gams—they can be serviceable, arguably even stylish. It’s been done before, to varying degrees of success.

So, as menswear anthropologists, in our quest to find out how we got into this pantsless existential crisis, we present to you:

A pop-culture history of men and shorts.»
 

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05/21/13
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Icon

Icon: Jack London

Jack London

In the long, proud bloodline of gritty journalists—the Hemingways, the S. Thompsons of the literary world—there was the original: Jack London.

In 1897, at age 21, he sailed to the Klondike in search of gold, and instead of finding a fortune, he picked up a near-fatal case of scurvy. Returning to his native Northern California a little worse for wear and a few teeth lighter, he picked up the pen and never looked back. (As you’d imagine, a running theme in his writings was man versus wild.) For all the love the Gold Rush era gets from the Americana set, there aren’t too many faces that can be put to the name—just anonymous beards and dusty overalls—but Jack London was there, in the thick of it. Looking quite stylish, for the most part.

Celebrating the man who answered The Call of the Wild in five iconic photos.»
 

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05/21/13
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LinkOut

Touring Melbourne, Mixing Patterns and Japan by Way of Portland

Scarves

Art House: Before the era of CGI and green screens, artists were hired to paint spectacular life-size scenes to simulate distant galaxies or off-location cities. Here are the 50 best.

Oy, Oy, Oy: Footwear designer Christian Kimber takes Details on a tour of Melbourne.

Socks and Pants: A Suitable Wardrobe explains the time and place for mixing stripes with checks.

Port of Call: Cool Hunting discovers a Portland outfit using ancient Japanese textiles to make majestic pocket squares, ties and scarves.

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05/20/13
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Lily Aldridge Is Re-Re-Watching Last Night’s Mad Men

Lily Aldridgevia evasee

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05/20/13
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

The State of the Apron

Apron

Memorial Day weekend is only four days away.

Sure, it’s got us looking forward to the prospect of dusting off the white bucks, but we’re mostly excited to roll out the barbecue grill for the season and fill up a cooler with ice and beer.

And anyone who’s manned a grill in this modern era understands that a handsome apron is par for the course. Blame it on a few overeager souls who took the heritage trend a little too seriously—or a captive audience willing to spend countless hours reading up on 1930s butcher shops and perusing handlebar-laden Tumblrs—but the apron scene is perhaps hotter than it’s ever been. So we took a moment to check in on the state of the apron, to see what’s out there these days (luckily, another side effect of the heritage trend is that they’re all going to last you a lot longer than a dozen tanks of propane).

Herewith, your guide to the new world of the menswear apron.»
 

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Style: some people have it, and some neighborhoods really have it. To show you what we mean, we’ve partnered with Cadillac to present Style Shifters—a five-part, in-depth look at what the hippest gents in some of the country’s coolest neighborhoods are wearing now. Our intrepid photographers have roamed the streets in search of the most stylish guys around. Herewith, a few photos of what they found...

New York

Brooklyn

Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is home to some of the country’s best bars and coolest restaurants—and, of course, some of the best menswear shops in the world. Naturally, you’ll find more than a few stylish individuals perched outside those locations (and no, not all of them are Billyburg hipsters). See what we mean below...

On The Streets: Brooklyn

  • Drew Ledbetter Actor
    Lives: Providence, RI

    Hometown: Chattanooga, TN / Bay Area, CA

    What We Like Drew’s shoes are made by Cole Haan.
  • Drew Ledbetter Actor
    Lives: Providence, RI

    Hometown: Chattanooga, TN / Bay Area, CA

    What We Like Drew’s shoes are made by Cole Haan.
  • Justice Hampton Works for Club Monaco
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    What We Like Leave it to a Texan to know that a linen jacket is the perfect bit of outerwear to transition you from spring to summer.
  • Justice Hampton Works for Club Monaco
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    What We Like Leave it to a Texan to know that a linen jacket is the perfect bit of outerwear to transition you from spring to summer.
  • Jamie Clawson Runs a leather accessories business (valentinegoods.com)
    Lives: East Village, New York

    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    What We Like Jamie’s shirt is called the “Expensive” shirt by Wil Fry. Ironically, it goes for about 30 bucks.
  • Jamie Clawson Runs a leather accessories business (valentinegoods.com)
    Lives: East Village, New York

    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    What We Like Jamie’s shirt is called the “Expensive” shirt by Wil Fry. Ironically, it goes for about 30 bucks.
  • Koppel Verma Researcher at Google
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Cambridge, MA

    What We Like Turns out, the Swiss Army makes more than knives—they also made this jacket (it’s vintage).
  • Koppel Verma Researcher at Google
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Cambridge, MA

    What We Like Turns out, the Swiss Army makes more than knives—they also made this jacket (it’s vintage).
  • Chris Afzal Audio engineer
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Baltimore, MD

    What We Like If you needed any more proof that Brooks Brothers has shed its stodgy image, these shoes should do the trick.
  • Chris Afzal Audio engineer
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Baltimore, MD

    What We Like If you needed any more proof that Brooks Brothers has shed its stodgy image, these shoes should do the trick.
  • Malik Alokpovi Host for a hotel
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Born in Togo, West Africa, but lived in the South of France

    What We Like Malik’s red suede shoes came from A.P.C. Try not to step on them.
  • Malik Alokpovi Host for a hotel
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Born in Togo, West Africa, but lived in the South of France

    What We Like Malik’s red suede shoes came from A.P.C. Try not to step on them.
  • Billy Cadden Musician
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Woodstock, NY

    What We Like Billy’s worn this shirt, which he got at H&M while on tour, at every show since.
  • Billy Cadden Musician
    Lives: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Woodstock, NY

    What We Like Billy’s worn this shirt, which he got at H&M while on tour, at every show since.
  • Sam Bowstucky Bartender
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    What We Like He’s actually on his way to a working audition for a bartending job at the Blind Barber. Good luck, Sam.
  • Sam Bowstucky Bartender
    Lives: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    What We Like He’s actually on his way to a working audition for a bartending job at the Blind Barber. Good luck, Sam.
California

San Francisco

Mission District

Style. The Mission’s got it. Union Square’s got it. But each of them goes about having it in a different way—the Mission rocking a more bohemian coffee shop vibe, Union Square hosting some of the best higher-fashion shops (and shoppers) on the West Coast. We rounded up a few of the most stylish folks from both. Have yourself a gander below…

On The Streets: San Francisco

  • Brian Cunningham Shop clerk
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: Boston, MA

    What We Like The first rule any SF transplant learns: always bring a light coat. Brian sticks with a denim jacket from AllSaints. (Button to taste.)
  • Brian Cunningham Shop clerk
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: Boston, MA

    What We Like The first rule any SF transplant learns: always bring a light coat. Brian sticks with a denim jacket from AllSaints. (Button to taste.)
  • Erik Newton Attorney
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    What We Like Erik likes to throw on an interesting sport coat with a pocket square and skip the tie—on days he’s not in the courthouse, naturally.
  • Erik Newton Attorney
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    What We Like Erik likes to throw on an interesting sport coat with a pocket square and skip the tie—on days he’s not in the courthouse, naturally.
  • Jason Moo Banker
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: New York, NY

    What We Like Jason picked up his prized pocket square at his favorite tailor, tucked away in NYC’s NoHo—Michael Andrews Bespoke.
  • Jason Moo Banker
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: New York, NY

    What We Like Jason picked up his prized pocket square at his favorite tailor, tucked away in NYC’s NoHo—Michael Andrews Bespoke.
  • Presyler Galvin Bon vivant
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Francisco, CA

    What We Like A good carry-all bag is a necessity in the city—and you won’t do much better than a Goyard. Extra points for the monogram.
  • Presyler Galvin Bon vivant
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Francisco, CA

    What We Like A good carry-all bag is a necessity in the city—and you won’t do much better than a Goyard. Extra points for the monogram.
  • Randal Ruiz Design student
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    What We Like Randal fashioned those elbow pads himself—ensuring he’ll never bump into the same blazer anywhere else.
  • Randal Ruiz Design student
    Lives: San Francisco, CA

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    What We Like Randal fashioned those elbow pads himself—ensuring he’ll never bump into the same blazer anywhere else.
Florida

Miami

South Beach
June 6

Forget everything you know about Miami style. Today’s Miamian is more LeBron James than Crockett and Tubbs—as you’ll soon see in our next edition of Style Shifters…

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Style Shifters
Cadillac