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A blog dedicated to the interesting, scandalous, useful and cutting edge in the world of men’s style, fashion and grooming.
Brooks not so brotherly: Brooks Brothers say Black Fleece will stand alone, with or without Thom Browne. [DNR]
Looks for the Shut-In: For the Second Life resident who wants to be fashionably detached from reality. Our bad fashion site of the day. [Second-Man]
Oakazine: Oak starts a magazine, throws party, invites you—kinda [Racked, 2nd Item]
Stylish Swedish garage punks The Hives have traded in their Vegas lounge act look and are channeling Thom Browne for their latest effort, The Black and White Album. We call it a marked improvement, especially as they’ve eschewed Browne’s signature high-water trouserings. The crested boating blazers and striped school ties worn to good effect on the album cover and in the video for the first single, “Tick Tick Boom” are straight out of Browne’s much-ballyhooed Black Fleece collection for Brooks Brothers. And though he’s hardly the first designer to employ such motifs…
Big Dummies: The industry is betting that you’ll wear whatever Brad Pitt, David Beckham and Sir Steven Redgrave are wearing. Wait… who? [The Independent UK]\
Closeout: Online Band of Outsiders sale at Blackbird. [HelloBlackbird]
Strapped: The YMYL unisex gadget holster—so geek, so sharp. [Refinery 29]
The Sartorialist Diet: Having problems losing those last, pesky 10 pounds? The man behind the camera suggests Corona and vests. [The Sartorialist]
Gabardine and Gravy: Brooks Brothers serves up a sale as good as Grandma’s sweet potato pie—and there ain’t nothing better than Grandma’s sweet potato pie. [Click for Details]
Dior Homme
Name Game: Glam-obsessed Roberto Cavalli hires French rock and roll band… um… Rock & Roll to star in his ad campaigns. “Rock & Roll”? Really inventive there, garçons. [FWD]
Join the Hunt: Field and Stream magazine expands its licensing hoping to tap into that juicy casual game hunter/rampaging Vice President market. [DNRNews]
The Oracle of Omaha: Is master capitalist Warren Buffett giving Ralph Lauren his Midas touch? [Seeking Alpha, #11]
New Republic: Simon Kneen, one of the many creative directors and designers responsible for Brooks Brothers recent renaissance, takes over the helm at Gap’s Banana Republic. [AP via Fox Business]
Inside Hollywood: Jude Law, who has starred in several Miramax films, will star in the Weinstein-produced biopic of Halston—a line now owned by… yes, Harvey Weinstein. [Men.Style]
Homme Coming: New ad campaign, shot by Monsieur Lagerfeld, gives us a closer look at Kris Van Assche’s Spring Dior Homme line. [Eye4style]
Box Set: Addicted to Polos? This $5,000 commemorative collector’s trunk should cure that—forever. [Rock Box]
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Cuban painter, sculptor, illustrator, chronicler and critic Ruben Toledo is in an enviable position for a well-dressed man about town: his wife Isabel is a fashion designer who frequently whips up bespoke threads in their sprawling loft-cum-atelier hidden atop a turn-of-the-century building.
Banging the Gavel: With the recent sale of Carla Bruni nudes and the new offering of this Michael Comte Gisele shot, it’s clear that British auction houses are becoming the place for top-drawer spank fodder. [Vogue UK]
Penny Pusher: Every time blue-eyed, honey-blond men’s fashion blogger Amanda Brooks writes a tribute to a male dress staple, we fall a little harder. [Men’s Vogue]
More Cushion for the Pushin’: If you’re using padded underwear to get laid, there’s really nothing we, or anyone else, can do for you. [NYMag]
Supercops: English bobbies may soon have cool designer capes. Maybe it would be cooler if the government gave them firearms, but what can you do? [BBC]
Big Bubba: Bill Clinton uses big fat, dies to distract the eye from his big, fat mouth. [HuffPo]
Stupid is as Stupid Does: England’s premier scientific journal, The Sun reveals that the more educated a woman is, the harder it is to satisfy her sexually. Well, duh. [The Sun]
Preppy is as Preppy Does:Brooks Brothers debuts their Black Fleece collection. [Luxist]
A Message to You Rudy: Ska style rises again. [Men.Style]
Thinking Ahead: The warm months are almost here, which means you should start shopping for Fall (but of course). Ransom will give you a head start. [Hypebeast]
Primary Colors: Obama is the Burberry candidate. [Radar]
Slip of the Tongue: Whoops. Someone let the beans spill about the new Black Fleece store. [The Life Vicarious via Racked]
Criminal Minded: The slicked-back men of America finally have a voice. [The Onion]
Deal Alert: 70% off at the APC Brooklyn store from Wednesday through Thursday. [Trash Bag Aesthetics]
Stuck on Sinatra: Plunk down your 42 cents for the best dressed stamp ever. [Gothamist]
Who Wears Short Shorts?: In the Summer, hemlines actually become relevant for men. [Independent UK]
Pool Party: Jump into the pool with the U.S. synchronized swim team and get ready to doggy paddle. [Radar]
Bikini Classic: The best of 70s S.I. swimsuits. [HuffPo]
Life’s Little Victories: Now you can finally win something for being short. Huzzah! [ShortShrifted]
Road Warrior: Come the apocalypse, roll that old Civic out the garage. [Wired]
Ruh’ Oh: Thom Browne may be breaking up with Brooks Brothers. Who gets Black Fleece in the divorce? [NYMag]
From Rags to Stiches: Ex-secondhand store Aloha Rag gets a visit from our favorite critical queen. [NYTimes]
Sneak Peek: Oh yes, the Bond trailer is here. [Moviefone]
Her Majesty: Anna Wintour deigns to speak of Milan Men’s Fashion. Cower, mere mortals. [DNR]
Second Chance: Brooks Brothers and Thom Browne kiss and make up. [DNR]
Um, No: Fashionista thinks man clutches are a good, “accessory for a night out.” Some people just don’t get it, do they? [Fashionista]
Gym Rats: How to be a gentleman while working up a sweat. [Art of Manliness]
A Solid Grip: Eva Mendez’s hands are always in the wrong place at the right time. [Use My Computer]
The Answer: Guess is targeting the high-end market. Stay tuned. [DNRNews]
The Bum’s Rush: Marc Jacobs was kicked out of an art gallery for looking unacceptably grungy. Oh the shame. [NYPost]
Cinéma Vérité: Josh Brolin gets into a drunken bar fight while filming Oliver Stone’s George W. Bush biopic. If he lost after one punch, he’s really in character. [AC]
Will Chick Pillow Fights Sell Real Estate?: We just made our down payment. [Observer]
Cutting-Edge Prep: That Comme des Garcons Brooks Brothers line is looking pretty damn sharp. [High Snobiety]
A Handle For Your Beer Can: Is as logical and obvious as an eraser on a pencil. [Uncrate]
Head to toe madras got a boost this summer from the likes of Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne’s Black Fleece collection. However, the full-on matching madras suit effect is a bit much, we feel, even in this realm.
Trust that old dog Glenn O’Brien to show us how it should be done. His plaids are complimentary but not identical; what’s more they’re obviously well-worn and look as if the fabric might be authentically Indian to boot.
Brooks Brothers is as close as the New World has to a tailoring institution, so we’ve been watching Thom Browne’s contribution to the Black Fleece line particularly closely. And thanks to Selectism, we just got a peek at the latest additions to the line.
Naturally, it’s catnip for trads, but Mr. Browne manages to throw in more than just thin lapels, including his treasured formal shorts, argyle socks, and a two-tone sweater that’s not that far from what Paul Smith’s up to these days. (Minus the bird head, naturally.)
Cornish Love: The heroine of the new Keats biopic offers some inspiring pics. [Esquire]
In Essence: Lux flannel, a fine gauge turtleneck and highbrow cargo pants all make surprise appearances on Men.Style’s ten essentials.[Men.Style]
Oh, Polo: Polo Rugby takes the customizable polo to the iPhone. Surely, a T-Pain special edition cannot be far behind. [Reuters]
It’s Just…So Beautiful: The L.A. Times talks their way into Brooks Brother’s Long Island City tie factory. Commence drooling. [All the Rage]
Suiting scraps are getting more and more play these days. The Dieline just gave us a first peek at the packaging for Black Fleece’s new fragrance, and the precious bottle’s cushioned with—you guessed it—fabric swatches. We’re guessing they had a few handy.
Scott Sternberg has always been good for a quote or two. Case in point: Last time the Band of Outsiders honcho checked in for a serious interview, he ended up dropping gems like, “Style fills the gap between how you see yourself and how you want other people to see you.” (Seriously, marinate on it.) So we’re always happy to listen in…
Most recently, he popped up as part of the Sundance Channel’s Full Frontal Fashion video series, comparing himself to more established icons like Ralph Lauren, J. Press, and Brooks Brothers: “We’re all drawing from the same well. But the filter through which we put it out there, and our personal quirks make it all quite different.” In Sternberg’s case, the preppy lineage comes by way of Jean-Pierre Léaud (he confesses a mild obsession in a separate clip), but Léaud’s not that far off from rugby players and businessmen—or at least not in Sternberg’s eyes.
But for variety’s sake, we’re hoping he doesn’t take up polo.
Contemplating the Ifs: If anyone puts together an indecision-themed editorial spread, definitely let us know. [Fashion Gone Rogue]
Brother to Brother: There’s a sea change underway at Brooks Brothers. Unfortunately, it’s happening behind a paywall. [WWD]
The Last Word: Ebert responds to the fantastic Esquire profile. [Chicago Sun Times]
The New Phone Company: If you have an Android phone, you should probably take a look at this. [The Official Google Blog]
