April 18, 2014 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Brooks Brothers”
02/18/14
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Object

The Six Quilted Blazers to Consider

021814_Blazers_HED
There’s something that’s been missing from your winter layering routine: a quilted blazer.

It’s a secret weapon that adds a few extra degrees of warmth between your indoor getup and your overcoat without sacrificing handsomeness (because really, those Stay Puft down jackets were meant for the ski slopes, not the office). And since it would seem that winter has no plans of letting up anytime soon, you’ve still got a chance to pick up one of these and get some good mileage out of it…

The six quilted blazers to consider this season.»
 

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10/28/13
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LinkOut

It’s Good to Be Tom Ford

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Today’s must-reads from around the Internet.

The menswear of kings, Tom Ford’s grooming commandments and questioning the Brooks Brothers’ steakhouse concept.»
 

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09/27/13
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Sale-ing

The Weekend Sales Report Card

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We’ve filtered through all of the online sale noise and graded your best options out there, should you feel inclined to do any menswear browsing this weekend…

For the Autumnal Staples: Take 30% off your autumnal staples at Lands’ End and their heritage-y Canvas line when using GRAND at checkout.
Discount: A-
Sizes Available: A
Selection: B+

For the Wool Ties: Sovereign Beck is getting you in on the cold-weather neckwear early, with $30 off all their F/W ’13 ties.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: N/A
Selection: B+

For the Prep-Americana: Brooks Brothers is starting fall off right this weekend with 25% off everything, through Monday.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A

More of the good stuff on sale from favorites like Ralph Lauren, Patagonia and others, after the jump.»
 

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09/17/13
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Good Idea

A Touch of Unexpected Denim

ro7a1262
Consider denim. It’s sturdy. Loyal. Cleans up nice. So we’re giving denim—in all of its forms—the credit it deserves by declaring it Denim Week here on Kempt…

In our latest installment, we’re going beyond the usual denim suspects to inject a little more denim into your life in some unexpected places…»
 

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09/13/13
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Current Affairs

Scene and Heard: Brooks Brothers SS14 Presentation

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Scene: Brooks Brothers’ Madison Avenue flagship store; a beach made with imported sawdust; a beautifully made (if impossible to wear) Black Fleece lace blazer (yes, for men); penny-farthing critter pants; collaborative Kiel James Patrick bracelets; a white shawl-collar linen blazer; espadrilles and shorts made from an old scarf pattern; madras, madras everywhere.

Heard: “California Dreamin’”; that the set was inspired by Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Total beach bums, those guys.

See more photos from the collection after the jump.»
 

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08/21/13
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About

The Kempt Five

tumblr_kw08mnUzxn1qa4vpfo1_500Every Wednesday, we’re giving you a deeper look into what makes the minds behind Kempt tick. We call it: The Kempt Five.

Presenting the creators, clothing and comestibles we’re feeling this week.»
 

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07/17/13
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About

The Kempt Five

Kempt Five

Every Wednesday from here on out, we’re giving you a piece of our minds. Actually, more like five pieces. It’s a chance to get a deeper look into what makes the minds behind Kempt tick—you know, beyond the usual Internet handsomeness we’re serving up daily. So welcome to our most personal weekly feature: The Kempt Five.

Without further ado, the Tumblrs, music and tuxedo slippers we’re digging this week.»
 

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07/15/13
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What's What

The Sports-Menswear Collaborations We’d Like to See Next

Menswear

It’s been a big week for collaborations.

While yesterday’s unveiling of the Kanye x A.P.C. collection has been getting most of the #menswear attention, we found ourselves more interested in another transatlantic collaboration that came through on the wire: Brooks Brothers announcing their new partnership with Italian soccer club Inter Milan.

It had us wondering why such an American brand would have to go overseas to outfit a sports team—especially with dapperness in locker rooms and postgame press conferences on the rise in the US. It would be a natural progression for, say, the Knicks to step off their team bus all kitted out in Michael Bastian—as opposed to the Detroit Lions, who seem more like Mark McNairy New Amsterdam kind of guys.

And since we’re the sort of menswear journalists who answer “Why?” with “Why not?” we’ve gone ahead and dreamed up a few style collaborations we’d like to see happen in American sports, based on who’d work best together.»
 

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05/10/13
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Sale-ing

The Weekend Sales Report Card

Sales

We’ve filtered through all of the online sale noise and graded your best options out there, should you feel inclined to do any menswear browsing this weekend, …

For That Movie Release Party: Just in time, Brooks Brothers is offering 25% off all merchandise—including their entire Gatsby-inspired collection—with the code FNFBB6.
Discount: A-
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A

For a Little Style and Substance: Save 20% on all regularly-priced merchandise at Chicago-based menswear purveyor Haberdash, with the code MAY20.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A-

For a Last Minute Mother’s Day: Enter the code SPEEDYDELIVERY at steven alan by 4:59PM today, and get free messenger service in Manhattan for purchases over $150. Trust us, Mom will appreciate it.
Discount: A
Sizes Available: N/A
Selection: N/A

More of the good stuff on sale after the jump.»
 

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05/02/13
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Head to Toe: Seersucker

Seersucker

Around Derby weekend, the seersucker suit gets all the attention.

But the fabric itself is so versatile—and cooling, with its uneven weave lifting the cotton off your skin and leaving hundreds of tiny pockets of air to cool you. So, in the event you’d like to outfit another part of your body with seersucker—say, your neck, or your feet—we’ve gone ahead and found enough gear to swathe you from head to toe in the legendarily cooling fabric. Now, we’re not saying you should try wearing every single piece here at once…

But we’re not not saying that either.»
 

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04/29/13
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Good Idea

All the Shirts Your Summer Requires

Shirts

By now you’ve already begun the monumental wardrobe shift into summer—but your most important move: summer-izing your shirts.

Once the temps start climbing past 70 degrees, it’s a whole new world of chambray, gingham, seersucker, madras and festive summer prints. And, as always, we’re here to help guide you through it with:

All of the handsome shirts your summer requires.»
 

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03/07/13
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What's What

What Your Rainwear Says About You

Raingear

With spring showers beginning to sprinkle over the northern hemisphere, it’s more than likely you’ll be reaching for a raincoat sometime soon—or looking for a new one. And in 2013, there’s a dizzying array of options to choose from. But before you head out into the damp unknown in your finest waterproof jacketry, you should know what your choice in gear says about you.

So, without further ado: what your rainwear says about you, according to Kempt.»
 

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03/01/13
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Sale-ing

Introducing… The Sale Scorecard

Crew shirts

In this new weekly series, we filter through all of the online-sale noise and grade your best options for some weekend shopping…

For Your Spring Head Start: Brooks Brothers is getting you in on their spring action a day early online—before it lands in shops—and they’re knocking off up to $200 on your final tally.
Discount: C
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A

If You’re Looking for Luggage: Billy Kirk has knocked 60% off a decent number of their well-made bags—and one very tempting navy trilby.
Discount: A
Styles Available: B
Selection: B+

Some More Spring-Forward Incentive: For three days only, Club Monaco is knocking 20% off all of their new spring gear with the code “SPRING20.”
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A

A Good Chance to Stock Up on Spring Basics: Gap is also getting in the spring spirit early with 25% off everything in shop with the code “GAP25”—but act fast, because it ends tomorrow.
Discount: A-
Sizes Available: A
Selection: B+

For Those Thinking Very, Very Far Ahead: Wittmore has finally slashed the rest of their winter sale down to 60% off. You won’t be able to wear most of it till it gets wintry again, but some good finds with a decent selection of sizes are still left here.
Discount: A
Sizes Available: B+
Selection: A-

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11/28/12
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LinkOut

Jessica Chastain Finds Your Klout Score Upsetting

Jessica Chastainvia GQ UK

Golden Fleecing: Richard Press tells the story of how Brooks Brothers shaped generations of preppiness—J. Press included. [Ivy Style]

No Cargo: Michael Jordan has been losing sartorial steam for some time—and now it’s getting him kicked out of places. [NY Post]

All the Leaves: A stunning time-lapse celebration of the vibrant autumnal foliage in Central Park. [The Atlantic]

Basel Tov: For those of you heading down to Miami for Art Basel next week, Bullett magazine has your 12-step game plan. [Bullett]

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10/30/12
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Well Pressed

The November Issues

It will be November by week’s end and that means one thing: a new crop of menswear magazines has just hit the shelves. And this month brings healthy doses of tweed, marled sweaters and general autumnal-ness. Not to mention some long-form pontification on the upcoming elections (from which we’ll spare you) and Mila Kunis in some very formfitting leather pants.

Let’s see how November is shaping up, according to the fashion rags, shall we…»
 

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10/15/12
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Object

It’s Tradmericana

Boots season is still going strong.

And here’s a good curious addition: the 4553 Tartan Panel Boot. It’s a collaboration between Red Wing Heritage and Brooks Brothers that replaces some leather with a plaid oilcloth panel—so you shouldn’t be sacrificing any waterproofing—and will land you somewhere on the boot spectrum between Americana and trad. (Perfect for the sort of boot wearer who leaves very long and personal comments on A Continuous Lean as well as Ivy Style.) It’s a limited-edition style only available in Brooks Brothers shops, so keep an eye out on your next stop in for some pinpoint button-down oxfords.

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06/13/12
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What's What

Kempt’s Guide to the Father’s Day Gift Guides of 2012

It’s become a time-honored tradition for a son to give his father a token of appreciation on the third Sunday of June.

In our experience, it really is the thought that counts—whether it’s a card, a bottle of fine cognac or a steak dinner (every dad likes to celebrate differently.) But should you be feeling an extraordinary urge to lavish dear old Dad this year, we cut through all the noise (and Nooks) to help you figure out where to focus your attention—ranging from the gents at GQ to the ladies at DailyCandy to the geeks at Wired. It’s enough gadgetry, machinery and sockery to need a guide just to get through all of these gift guides…

Introducing Kempt’s Guide to the Father’s Day Gift Guides of 2012 (in order of how endearing you plan on being).»
 

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05/09/12
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Sale-ing

To add to the stellar midseason sale-ing happening right now, Brooks Brothers just kicked off a friends & family sale—that’s 25% off your total (enter FNFBB3 at checkout) applicable to all of their stock (save for made-to-measure), including items already on sale. Now might be the right time to stock up for the upcoming summer wedding season with something from the collaboration with Social Primer or clambake season with this slim-fit oxford fun shirt, or to pounce on anything you’ve been eyeing lately.

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04/19/12
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Object

So Crazy It Just Might Work

It’s already happening. This unseasonably warm weather just keeps on getting more and more unseasonably warm. So we’ve already had to kick our yearly quest for the ultimate summer shirt into high gear.

Enter: this new Franken-shirt from Brooks Brothers—it’s part polo (with a knit collar and ribbed armbands) and part seersucker sports shirt. And it very well could be “the answer.”

Or “the shirt kept reserved for the golf course.”

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02/15/12
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Big Picture

The Perfect Tie Dimple

Spotted at the Brooks Brothers preview, this is what a tie dimple should look like. Deep, proud and ever so slightly asymmetrical.

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01/18/12
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Scene

Scenes From the Capsule Show

The trade show/blogger convention known as Capsule has come and gone, and apart from a few stand-outs (which you’ll be hearing about in the weeks to come), it was a blur of handsomeness: plaid after plaid, camo after camo, and more good ideas than we’ve ever seen in one place.

So we thought we’d pass on the menswear headrush in the best way we know how—lots and lots of photos.

Our favorite photos from Capsule, including Monitaly, Velardi and a certain vintage Brooks Brothers jockey helmet…»
 

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12/17/11
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LinkOut

Hayley Atwell is Stretching Thoroughly

Hayley Atwellvia GQ UK

A Man in Uniform: Ryan Plett breaks men’s style down to its simplest possible components for a daily uniform that’s always solid. Not a bad idea. [YHBTI]

To the Letter: Our favorite letter jacket so far—and it’s a crowded field. [Hypebeast]

The Lost Art of Leisure: Once upon a time, leisure meant actually not doing anything. It was a simpler time… [Mills Baker]

The Blowout Sale: Also, if you’re in a shopping mood, Brooks Brothers is having a pretty crazy clearance sale. [Brooks Brothers]

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09/29/11
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Good Idea

A Gentleman’s Guide to Sleepwear

As the weather slowly turns brisk, you may notice a particular morning chill hitting you the first moment you pull back the blanket. Before too long, you’re going to need to start wearing a few extra layers to bed. The only question is exactly how dapper those layers are going to be.

But don’t answer now. Let’s explore your options first…

The two choices before you»
 

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09/19/11
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Good Idea

The House Shoe

We love fall, but it has a few drawbacks. For instance, it may be too chilly to spend Sunday afternoon barefoot. It’s a shame…but nothing a well-chosen slipper can’t solve.

Specifically, the most decadent piece of footwear known to man: the house shoe. If you’re indulgent enough to pick one up, it’s likely to be the most comfortable item you own—for the simple fact that it will never venture outside your house.

And naturally, we’ve got a few favorites.

Our three favorite house shoes…»
 

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08/02/11
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Good Idea

The Contrast Button

Bolglioli

We’ll say this for summer: there’s always plenty of flair going around.

In particular, we’re seeing a lot of blazers and suits that have traded the usual buttons for something a bit more conspicuous. Most of them are coming from Italy (the one at left is from Bolglioli), but that’s just where the designers are into it. If you’re trying it yourself, it’ll work as well on a Brooks Brothers blazer as anything you might find on Yoox.

The classic combination is white mother-of-pearl buttons on a navy blazer (like this), but the only real guide is what looks good. It’s the semi-formal version of our shoelace experiment. The only difference is, you’ve got a lot more texture to work with—anything from wood to metal to opalescent synthetics.

And as always, we encourage tackling this yourself. You can test out colors by laying the buttons on the jacket, and an even dozen should be enough for the whole business. We’d be shocked if it costs you more than you spent on lunch—assuming you’re handy with a needle and thread.

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