May 25, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“advice”
02/19/13
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What's What

The Gentleman’s Guide to Breaking Up

Heartbreak Hotel

Persistence is generally considered a virtue. Also: knowing when to call it quits.

Today we’re talking about that second thing.

Because even with the aid of Valentine’s-enhanced romance—and the champagne, the roses, the long weekend in the woods—your last shot still came up short. It’s not that she isn’t a spectacular gal and it hasn’t been great getting to know her… but, alas, the time has come to part ways.

So take a deep breath. Prep some band-aid metaphors. There’s no sense in putting it off:

This is the Gentleman’s Guide to Breaking Up.»
 

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11/15/12
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The Code

A Gentleman’s Guide to Dancing in a Nightclub

Advice from resident dance expert and certified lady-person Michelle Ong:

As a lady with a deep, undying love for (disco) balls, there’s a reason why I only go to nightclubs with girls and gays: a lot of straight guys have trouble with dancing. A lot of you treat it like an advanced mating ritual you have to decode, or else you look downright pitiful, blinking nervously while shuffling around in a circle. But it doesn’t have to be like this.

Here is the essential 10-step, foolproof, lady-approved guide to dancing in a nightclub.»
 

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09/28/12
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Pony Express

An Inquiry on the Art of Dressing Up Denim

Here at Kempt HQ, we often receive letters from our readers—most of it adoring fan mail—but every so often we get a naked picture. Also every so often, we get a question from an inquiring soul. Which we sometimes answer…

This week, we received a letter in our inbox from a reader who was looking forward to heading to the Mondrian LA for an evening of cocktails and tapas but was at a sticking point: to wear jeans or not to wear jeans. That is the question.

On to our reader’s denim-based quandary, followed by our menswear blogger-savvied guidance.

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03/28/12
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Current Affairs

A Gentleman’s Guide to Spectacular Public Failure

Donald Verrilli is having a bad week.

He’s the US Solicitor General, currently arguing for the constitutionality of Obamacare in front of the Supreme Court—and as of 24 hours ago, he was an easy favorite. Then came what some writers are calling “one of the most spectacular flameouts in the history of the court.” He stuttered, he rambled, he lost his voice, and by the end of the day, he had gone from an unknown technocrat to the most notoriously incompetent lawyer this side of Lionel Hutz.

But we’re not here to pile on. We’re here to offer some consolation to Mr. Verrilli himself. Don, if you’re reading, it’s okay. Do you need a hug? You do. Take a breath. Try to collect yourself. And for the next five minutes, forget about the crushing media scrutiny and listen to our words of wisdom.

You’ve just had a unique and transcendent experience, Donald Verrilli»
 

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03/15/12
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Pony Express

The Basics of Wearing a Sweater

As grizzled style veterans, we tend to focus on larger issues of style, cultural context and the relative quality of various brands. But as a recent reader email reminded us, sometimes it’s helpful to focus on the basics.

And we mean the absolute basics.

In this case, the problem at hand is how to wear a sweater without descending into a rumpled mess by the end of the day. The request goes like this…

Our desperate reader query, coupled with a wise and gracious response…»

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02/29/12
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Ann Landers On: The Male Earring

Ann Landers

Certain questions regarding matters of gentlemanly style and grace have repeated themselves for decades. Case in point: on three separate occasions—once in 1966 and twice in 1984—Ann Landers was asked for her advice on the subject of male earrings. Given Morgan Freeman’s bizarre determination to keep the fad alive in 2012, we felt it was as good a time as any to revisit the 50-year-old issue. To that end, in unauthorized collaboration with “Ask Ann Landers” circa 1943-2002, Kempt presents the first in a series of 2012 answers to questions posed by the style-seekers of yesteryear.

Ann Landers (and Kempt) on the male earring…»
 

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02/16/12
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

5 Times You’re Allowed to Wear Scarves Indoors

When it comes to men wearing scarves indoors, there isn’t necessarily a hard-and-fast rule one way or the other. The ascot, a haughty great-uncle of the scarf, has been a mainstay for centuries, and a handful of notably well-dressed men have successfully pulled off the look of late.

Here’s the thing, though…»

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12/28/11
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About

The Gentleman’s Workout (and Other Advice From 2011)

Gentleman's Workout

Let’s be realistic. It’s the week between Christmas and New Years – you’re not going to your personal best mile time. Instead, consider employing The Gentleman’s Workout: Pack a gym bag. Leave it in the car. Find the closest steam room. Enter it with one large bottle of chilled water. Drink it. Take a cold shower. Enter the steam room with a second bottle of chilled water. Drink it. Take a slightly warmer shower. Utilize all toiletries/razors/ combs-in-jar-0f-blue-liquid saves/q-tips available in the locker room and, if applicable, enjoy a stiff cocktail in the clubhouse before returning home for a much-needed post-holiday workout feast.

Here are a few of our other humble suggestions from 2011…»
 

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11/15/11
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Good Idea

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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10/19/11
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Good Idea

A Gentleman’s Guide to Halloween

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s coming. In just a week and a half, you’re going to be faced with a flood of invitations to costume parties, and you’re going to have to find a costume in the spirit of the occasion that doesn’t make you look like a complete doofus. We’re not going to lie to you, it won’t be easy—but we’ve got a few ideas on how to make it through unscathed.

The three things to remember this Halloween…»
 

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06/07/11
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Good Idea

The Kempt Guide to Wristwear

Street Etiquettepic via Street Etiquette

We’re in favor of flourishes.

So when gentlemen started adorning their wrists with colorful strings, beads and leather straps, there was a lot to like. It was spontaneous, and it was good. But with $100 lanyards flooding into boutiques, we thought it might be time to separate the inspired from the trendy.

So without further ado, our two cardinal rules concerning wristwear. Take them to heart.

Here’s what you need to know»

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09/17/09
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LinkOut

Silwia Jankowska Slinks

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Hello, There: Fashion Copious checks out the portfolio of Ms. Silwia Jankowska, and we’re beginning to think every model in the city has a “slinking on the floor” shot… [Fashion Copious]

Oh Man: A familiar face takes stock of the “manly advice section of the bookstore. The verdict? You’d better learn to tape drywall. [Slate]

Roll Out: Esquire takes stock of the latest runway trends, as applied to what you already own. Get ready to roll those pant cuffs. [Esquire]

Music for SmartPhones: Brian Eno fulfills his destiny with a generative iPhone version of Music for Airports. Maybe he was too cool for Android? [Gizmodo]

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07/27/09
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Good Idea

What a Man Must Do

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In case you missed your issue of Esquire this month, we’ve got an emergency dose of masculine wisdom. This one comes courtesy of Omar Tehawko who put together the poster at the left. He’s managed to narrow the Things a Man Must Do down to five simple imperatives:

1) Shoot a Small Helpless Animal
2) Visit Space
3) Punch a Lion in the Face
4) Fly a Jet Fighter
5) Save the Day

It might take some doing, but nobody said manliness was going to be easy. First, you’ll need a lion with a glass jaw…

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04/24/09
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Good Idea

Choices, Choices

baracuta_crop.jpg

One of the highlights of Britain’s current turn in the style spotlight is the steady stream of heritage brands taking their star turn. This month, it’s Baracuta, a lightweight jacket company recently been favored by a J. Crew collab, a quasi-placement in the latest Bond flick and seemingly endless supply of good press.

Of course, a history of showing up on the shoulders of everyone from Steve McQueen to Joe Strummer doesn’t hurt.

We weigh your baracuta options»

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04/09/09
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Good Idea

Aiming High

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Lapels have been migrating north for quite a while now, and in this Oliver Spencer blazer—pulled from his latest lookbook—they seem to have moved all the way to the collar.

It’s not for everyone—Tom Ford is on record as hating the look—but Spencer knows how to pull it off better than anyone.

You’ll want a smaller collar than usual and a thin knot to keep everything roughly in proportion, but the real trick is leaving the top button unbuttoned. The jackets in question are usually three-buttons, and fastening the top one is every bit as bad as fastening the bottom.

And if you want to throw in a quick lapel trinket to show off how clever you’re being, we’d say you’ve earned it.

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03/27/09
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Dept. of Corrections

The View From Paris

rickowens_crop.jpg

It’s been a while since we heard anything from Rick Owens, but apparently Men.Style hasn’t forgotten last decade’s Marc Jacobs. They stopped by Mr. Owens’ Parisian flat to condense his style wisdom into ten simple rules.

As you might have guessed, some of them are better than others.

For instance, ponder this one at #4: “When a suit gets middle-of-the-road it kind of loses me—it has to be sharp and classic and almost forties.” We were with you until the 40s part, Rick…

We catalog Mr. Owens’ wisdom»

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03/26/09
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Icon

Taking a Knee

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As much as fashion media tends to focus on clothes, real style comes from knowing how to wear them…which doesn’t go without saying.

H(y)r Collective just posted a smart take on correctly approaching plaid shorts, which contains crucial info surrounding what might be the preppiest item of clothing on earth. The main gem is this: Stay between one and three inches above the knee, and everything will be ok.

And, if at all possible, try to wear them on a yacht.

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03/24/09
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Conversation

Street Life

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The Dow may be surging, but it’s going to be quite some time before that money trickles down to the average man of style…much less the average shop-owner.

Hypebeast recently had the same idea as us, and approached some of the wiser boutique men and label owners with notebook in hand.

Streetwear isn’t exactly our scene, but the lessons are more or less the same: cut back on stock, streamline production, and try to ride the whole mess out. The most surprising takeaway is the longterm effect of all the sample sales you’ve been seeing. We aren’t usually inclined to speak ill of the occasional 80% discount, but labels and shops need high margins to keep afloat, which makes it hard to imagine what the sample sale scene will look like six months from now.

We excerpt some of the best advice»

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02/26/09
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Big Picture

The Lay of the Land

philadelphia_crop.jpgvia Benhasten

Although he may occasionally find himself at a loss for words, a gentleman is always ready for new customs. Even if it means adapting to a world in which women light cigarettes for men.

There’s plenty of changes afoot, but you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t try them out.

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02/11/09
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Big Picture

On Stage

beatles_crop.jpgvia Hey Okay

As the Beatles can tell you, having nice stuff is never as impressive as knowing how to use it.

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02/02/09
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Bad Idea

Thanks, Boss

springsteen_crop.jpg

We have a lot of love for Bruce Springsteen, so it’s hard for us to see him flub a crotch slide on national TV. But if we were to take one lesson away from the experience, it would be the following: never do anyhing that might end up reenacted on YouTube.

See the reenactment in question»

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01/30/09
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Good Idea

Reach For It

pulp_crop.jpgvia Tsutpen

Inspiration can come from many places, but it’s usually best in small doses. So while we heartily endorse fedoras, peak lapels, and even the occasional pinstripe, you should resist the powerful temptation to dress like someone on the cover of a dime novel.

For women, of course, this rule does not apply.

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01/26/09
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Dress Code

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

pants_crop.jpg

There are a lot of sources for style advice, but if we had our choice, we’d skip the glossy mags, style sections, and even the blogs, and go straight for the sartorial wisdom of medieval parchments. They’re a little hard to find these days, but the advice therein is timeless.

This guide to pants may be a bit feminine for our uses, but the advice about acid-washed jeans is as true today as when it was written.

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01/23/09
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Dept. of Corrections

The Laws Haven’t Changed

esquirefeb2008.jpg

It’s a long-running joke that Esquire and GQ publish the same “new rules for men’s style” every year—the sartorial equivalent of Cosmo’s “487,000 Ways to Please Your Man”—but we’ve never minded too much. The rules tend to be genuinely overlooked lessons, like that fit matters and a well-dimpled tie is never wasted. We just wish they’d stop telling us how new it is.

This time around, they called it a manifesto»

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01/16/09
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Blithe Spirits

So Fresh, So Clean

stolichnaya_crop.jpg

Vodka: is there any problem it can’t solve?

Well, we can add vintage-clothes smell to the list at least. Valet Magazine tracked down the costume designer for Mad Men to see how they keep the vintage-heavy set from smelling like the back of your grandmother’s closet and the answer was a whole lot simpler than we thought. The secret? One part vodka in two parts water, sprayed on and left to air. Apparently astringent spirits do a lot to suck up whatever’s hovering in those threads, and vodka’s pure enough to not leave any smells behind.

Sounds like we’d better stock up.

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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…

Kempt
Style Shifters
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