May 21, 2012 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
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01/20/12
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Bike Style Strikes Back

This snap comes from Paris Fashion Week, where Maison Kitsune sent a few models onto the runway with bicycles in tow.

Normally, we’d support the move (certainly better than SUVs), but we have to worry for the state of their clothes. If the well-coiffed model in question actually mounted that bike, his cotton shirt would be sweaty-going-on-gross inside of 10 minutes. It’s more like bike style in theory.

Instead, he should take a page from our expert and try a wool base layer… or maybe just lose the suit.

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01/20/12
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Rainy Season Style

Poncho

It’s hard to look good when it’s pouring, but the latest Market Week offered a fresh solution: the stylish poncho.

We’re thinking of Sifr in particular, who combined the classic functional item with the Rick-Owens-in-Tokyo look for a surprisingly sharp item. Gone are the drooping shoulders and the baggy silhouette, replaced by a more tailored shoulder. Think of it as Jedi rain gear.

And for anyone interested in the military equivalent (and willing to compromise on the trim fit), there are a surprising number of Swiss camo versions kicking around the Web, most coming in under $30.

Spring showers: do your worst.

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01/17/12
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Kempt Supports: Models Carrying Champagne

We’ve been taking a mostly hands-off approach to Milan Fashion Week, but the Trussardi presentation finally gave us something we can whole-heartedly endorse: models carrying bottles.

Granted, it doesn’t hurt that this one already looks like a disinherited racecar driver on vacation—but something about the magnum of bubbly nails down the reckless abandon of it all. Something about the devilish grin, the CHIPs shades and overflowing pocket square tell you, wherever this gentleman’s headed, it’s going to involve some champagne.

We bet it was a hell of an after-party.

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01/13/12
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The Enormous Scarf

Here’s one of our favorite affectations of Pitti Uomo so far: the full-body scarf.

It’s bold, sure, but there’s something regal about it, as if the don pictured were about to lead a Roman regiment into battle. The dun-colored sheet works especially well played against a neutral-gray suit with only a slightly more colorful shirt and tie. That makes it one of the more restrained outfits we’ve seen out of Florence this time around, and also one of the sharpest.

It goes to show, there’s more to style than eye-popping colors and prints.

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01/10/12
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In Praise of Tweed

Now that our wardrobe is firmly in winter mode, we’re donning some variety of tweed on a near-daily basis. It’s some of the most versatile stuff in our closet. So to celebrate the season of tweed, we’ve put together a quick photoset of the fabric at its best. Take notes, gentlemen.

See tweed at its finest, after the jump»
 

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01/03/12
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The Wisdom of P. Johnson Tailors

P. Johnson

Australian tailor Patrick Johnson made his name outfitting some of the most stylish gentlemen in Hong Kong, but as his latest crop of photos proves, he’s got plenty of style on his own.

It’s not a lookbook exactly—he only bothers with pictures every couple of years—but it’s a great reminder of what a sharp tailor can do. If you’re having a suit made any time soon, this is one to bookmark.

Here’s the work of the legendary P. Johnson, and what you can learn from it»
 

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12/26/11
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The Kempt Guide to the New Year’s Resolution

It’s seems like a long way off, we know, but in a scant five days New Year’s will be upon us. And with it, New Year’s Resolutions. And since it would be a shame to let a seasonal surge in willpower and self-knowledge go to waste, we’d like to offer up a little wisdom on how to properly resolve yourself, and help 2012 live up to the hype. It’s going to be a good year…

Three pieces of advice, as we head into resolution season»
 

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12/13/11
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The Kempt Gift Guide, Part Three: Stuff You Can Wear

For the third and final installment in our gift guide, we’re going straight to the heart of the matter. The good stuff. The clothes. The trick is knowing your giftee’s style, and finding an item they’ll still be wearing next year. It’s tricky stuff, but we’ve got a plan for you…

Our final five gifts and a thrilling conclusion»
 

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12/12/11
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In Defense of the Old Gift

via

We take it for granted that your gift list is also a shopping list, but we’d like to suggest a curveball idea for those at the very top of your list: the old gift.

It’s something you’ve owned for years—a first-edition book, maybe, or a trinket you picked up in foreign climes. Something you’ve had long enough to get tired of, but that hasn’t lost its luster to anyone else. Something personal.

And most importantly, something money can’t buy.

The delicate art of the old gift…»
 

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12/07/11
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The Kempt Gift Guide, Part Two: Tools For Life

For the second installment in our gift guide, we’re casting a wider net: anything and everything that might help your friends and family live life to the fullest. The goal here is to give something they’d never think to buy, and soon won’t be able to live without. Naturally, we’ve got a few ideas…

Our five life-changing gift ideas»
 

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12/06/11
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Desert Boots Have Hit the Saturation Point

Desert Bootsvia Primer Magazine

Walking to work this morning, we spotted no less than five gentlemen wearing suede desert boots. Six, if you count the pair on our own feet.

It’s no wonder; they’re great shoes. On some level, we should have been glad that the men of New York are catching on to the glory of Clarks. But we weren’t glad. Instead we felt a creeping sense of unease, and wondered if we should sneak back to our apartment to change.

It’s a common moment for gentlemen of style—and for anyone as allergic to trends as we are, it’s a moment that deserves a closer look…

The saturation point, and what to do about it»
 

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12/01/11
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The Kempt Gift Guide, Part One: Formal Trinkets

Good style leaves a lot of room for flourish. No one actually needs a tussah-silk tie or a pair of pearl-topped cufflinks, which is why it’s so special when someone actually has them. That goes double for the smaller trinkets like lapel pins that are usually more memorable than expensive… and happen to make perfect gifts.

So in the name of filling out your list, we’re running down three of our favorite types of formal accessory, a perfect gift for any gentleman-of-style on your list. Even if he’s already got one, he’ll be pretty glad to have another.

Three great gift ideas for a gentleman of style»
 

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11/30/11
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The Rules of Winter

Winter is a challenge.

As always, you have to maintain your gruff-but-impeccable appearance, but you also have to navigate cold snaps and abruptly unseasonable weekends without getting too bulky. It’s a tightrope.

The good news is, we’ve got three hard-and-fast rules to keep you unencumbered through the season—and able to navigate any unexpectedly warm days that might pop up along the way.

Our three rules of winterizing»
 

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11/28/11
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The Alligator Briefcase

Alligator Briefcase

It’s usually just suits and shoes getting the bespoke treatment, but the process can do great things to a briefcase as well. Take this briefcase from cobbler G. J. Cleverley’s bespoke program, which combines a trad-friendly design with a material you’re more used to seeing on pimp boots. The result is one of the cheekier pieces of British luggage we’ve seen. Nicely done.

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11/17/11
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A Gentleman’s Guide to Whangee

The British umbrella’s already the pinnacle of rainy-day style, but we’d like to nominate a particular detail as especially crucial. We’re thinking of that notched handle known among connoisseurs as the whangee.

Make no mistake—this is advanced-level British nostalgia. (The icon, if we had to pick one, would be The Avengers’s John Steed.) But it’s also the kind of grace note that separates the standard article from the full trad. Especially if you happen to know the backstory…

The distinguished history of whangee…»

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11/15/11
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The Kempt Guide to Thanksgiving Travel

Travel

It’s a fair bet that in about a week’s time, you’re going to be taking a trip of some kind. And since time is precious, you’re going to want to arrive ready for a solid session of food, drink and general carousing, with wrinkles in your clothes or fatigue in your body.

Over the years, we’ve developed a near-failproof game plan for pulling off just that. It’s not complex, but it demands rigorous adherence and an almost monk-like resolve. If you’re up for it, we’ve enclosed the three key points after the jump…

Our three-step plan for getting off the plane unscathed…»
 

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11/11/11
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Veterans Day and the Lapel Poppy

As you may have noticed from the shuttered post offices, it’s Veterans Day. And while there’s plenty of somber contemplation to do, we’d like to highlight an English custom we’re hoping catches on in the States: the lapel poppy. It’s a bona fide tradition over there, and if you walked through London today, you probably wouldn’t see a lapel without one. All it takes is a good florist or a patch of felt—and a little transatlantic charm.

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11/09/11
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The Kempt Guide to the Winter Coat

via Mighty Sword

You can take or leave most of the style advice we dole out. As cool as they are, you don’t need a checked blazer. You don’t need an advice-giving pen. But if you’re living anywhere that sees snow on a regular basis, you’re going to need a winter coat—and you’re going to be living with whichever one you choose for quite a while.

So choose wisely.

And to help you survey the territory, we’ve broken the world’s winter coats into three easy categories and singled out the best items in each one—starting with the most classic item in the bunch, the overcoat…

The three kinds of coat that matter…»
 

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11/08/11
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The Secret of the Spread Collar

The spread collar has been gaining prominence for quite a while now among the business-suit crowd—and for good reason. It’s not just trendiness. It actually solves one of the most lingering problems well-suited gentlemen encounter: the scourge known as collar gap…

Bear with us; this is advanced-level stuff…»
 

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11/07/11
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What Matters (and Doesn’t) About Scarves

Scarfvia Men’s Club

We love a good scarf. It’s the grace note of a well-dressed man—a sliver of color in a gray season. And since we’ll be wearing one every day once winter ramps up, it’s easy to get emotional about things.

But for all the wisdom and hype in our corner of the blogosphere, there’s really only one thing that matters in finding a good scarf. And it’s definitely not how you tie it…

The one thing that makes a good scarf…»
 

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11/07/11
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Gentlemen, It’s Time to Wax Your Boots

While we’re still perched on the edge of winter, now’s an excellent time to give your winter boots and shoes of choice a little preemptive wax. It’ll only take 45 minutes, and you’ll be a lot happier once the first layer of snow comes down.

Simple Threads gave a quick how-to over the weekend, but there’s not all that much to it. Just take off the laces, rub it down, let it sit for half an hour and then wipe everything off with a clean cloth. Our favorite wax is from Angelus (a tip from George Esquivel), but as long as you match the color of your shoes, you’ll be fine.

In a few weeks’ time, when you find yourself stomping through a few inches of snow, you’ll be fully protected.

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11/02/11
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Going Beyond the Submariner

If you’ve been paying close attention to the wrists of menswear lately, you’ll have noticed a lot of metal-strapped diving watches peeking from under well-appointed cuffs. It’s a good look, the rugged juxtaposed with the elegant (Ă  la Agnelli’s Italian hiking boots and bespoke suit). But nowadays the Submariner has become so ubiquitous, it’s almost as if there aren’t other wearable watches out there—which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Our two cents: it’s time to move on and start looking for a new, dressier watch. And as luck would have it, we’ve got a few suggestions…

Three other types of watch to check out»
 

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11/01/11
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The Rules of the Checked Blazer

Checked Blazervia Why You Mad

One of the perks of the Italian Invasion has been a serious uptick in adventurous blazers. Like raw denim before it, an odd jacket can be a great way to dress up without looking like you’re trying to impress the boss—which should make it one of the more versatile items in your closet. But as with any patterned piece, it can be dangerous territory if you don’t know your way around.

So to help you get the most out of your next odd jacket, we’ve put together a quick roadmap of what’s great and what’s risky. It’s simpler than you think…

Allow us to explain»
 

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10/28/11
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The Camo Sole

We don’t venture into the haute realm too much, but we know a good idea when we see one. In this case, the good idea is printing a leaf-pattern desert camo across the rubber sole of a Chelsea boot, courtesy of YSL. Someone get McNairy on this.

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10/26/11
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The State of the Peacoat

Peacoats have seen us through many a November in style. But since nautical style is at a low point this year, the regular navy blue model isn’t going to cut it. Instead, you’re going to have to get creative—either with some new fabrics, some new colors or something genuinely outlandish…

The way we see it, you’ve got three options.»
 

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