The May Issues

“Esquire”

04/22/13

The May Issues

May can be a tricky style month to predict.

It puts us in the late-spring-but-it-might-already-feel-like-summer zone of weather, so it’s hard to know whether we’re going to want to see umbrellas or linen—so all three mags hedged by putting leading men on their cover. (There was also some baseball-inspired fashion.)

Thus, in the name of menswear journalism, we trod through the mid-weight blazers, the white, er, off-white shoes (well in advance of Memorial Day) and a cacophony of fragrances to bring you:

The May Issues…»

ALL Well Pressed

TAGS

04/15/13

LinkOut

Detroit’s Shinola, Ending the Need for Bras and the Masters’ Pimento-Gate

Shine On: Valet has word of a new enterprise in Detroit hell-bent on reviving American manufacturing of everything from bicycles to watches. (Cars can’t be far behind.)

Bra Burning: 15 years of research suggests there’s no benefit to be gained by wearing a bra, according to this groundbreaking scientific study from France (but of course).

Good Eye: Esquire gets a sneak peek at the slick new brick-and-mortar of bespectacled do-gooders Warby Parker.

S’wicheroo: The biggest disappointment at this weekend’s Masters didn’t happen on the course, but in the clubhouse: it would seem the traditional pimento cheese sandwich had been corrupted.

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

02/18/13

Well Pressed

The March Issues

Here we are, March-ing toward spring—even if there’s still snow on the ground in the majority of the contiguous US—with the latest crop of magazines hitting newsstands in the last couple days.

And in our grand tradition of sizing up the state of printed menswear journalism, we’ve thumbed through all 620 pages of the big three to bring you the most comprehensive assessment. Without further ado:

The March Issues.

ALL Well Pressed

TAGS

01/24/13

The Past

The Updated Gentleman’s Guide to Chivalry

The new year has been full of disturbing news. Online dating? Ruining everything. Courtship itself? Dead. Chivalry? Also dead.

Apocalypse-heralding horsemen? Nigh.

In these tumultuous times, we’ve decided to revisit the rules of the past—to see if they’re really dead, and if so, if any are worth reviving. To kick it off, Kempt etiquette-tician and really polite soup-eater Gabby Kruschewsky looks at the rules of chivalry.

To start the assignment, I headed to the public library (libraries: also still real), where I came across a dusty tome, Esquire’s Guide to Modern Etiquette, published in 1969.

According to the gents at Esquire of old, the rules of conduct for men, when women are concerned, boil down to just 10 things.»

ALL The Past

TAGS

01/08/13

LinkOut

Lionel Messi Is Connecting the Dots

Football star Lionel Messi in a polka dot tuxedo

Via Esquire

Lion’s Share: Lionel Messi showed up to collect his (fourth!) Ballon d’Or in a polka-dotted tuxedo jacket and matching bow tie. Esquire thinks he might have pushed it too far.

Ansari the Question: In an unprecedented move, Aziz Ansari interviews himself for Bullett.

Pocket Full of Sunshine: Slate learns the tricks of the trade from a master pickpocket. Use this information only for good.

Not So Brief Encounter: Valet extols the virtues of investing in quality undergarments. We’ll second that emotion.

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

10/02/12

Well Pressed

The October Issues

It’s October (yes, already) and that means one thing: a new crop of magazines has hit the shelves. September was the big rallying point for the fall menswear transition, so now it’s less about how fall looks and more about how fall feels: there’s tweed, the upcoming elections and awards season jockeying (coincidentally, each cover featured an A-list actor). So, let’s get into it.

Digging through the October issues, one perfumed page at a time.»

ALL Well Pressed

TAGS

07/31/12

Well Pressed

The August Issues

August. Tomorrow, it begins.

Which means one thing: a new crop of menswear mags has hit the newsstands. And, as always, we’re here to guide you through all 370 glossy pages of fall fashion, fresh faces and varying degrees of Olympic excitement.

Without futher ado, the August Issues.»

ALL Well Pressed

TAGS

07/19/12

LinkOut

Cintia Dicker Loves Her New Rug

En Sun Guard: The gents at Esky have found a nifty product that will give your clothing a UV protective coating after a quick spin in the wash. [Esquire]

Cargo Embargo: Gothamist takes to the streets to settle the debate once and for all: is it okay for guys to wear cargo shorts, ever? [Gothamist]

In the Black: GQ gets a first look at J. Lindeberg’s new BLK DNM line as modeled by Wes Anderson cronie Waris Ahluwalia. [GQ]

There Will Be Cowboy Hats: The New York Times digs through their photo archives to find the seven most questionable Olympic uniforms of yore. [NY Times]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

06/11/12

LinkOut

Kate Upton Is Still Celebrating

Have Some Cake: In honor of Ms. Upton’s birthday, here’s a countdown of 20 of her finest moments. [BroBible]

A Bespectacled Spectacle: In their ongoing fixation with the Miami Heat’s thick-framed glasses, Esquire tracks down the source: a local designer from Brazil. [Esquire]

Technicality KO: Deadspin tries to explain the idiosyncrasies of scoring boxing matches. (And how Manny Pacquiao got screwed.) [Deadspin]

Them Apples: In the event you’d like to get yourself an Ivy League education Good Will Hunting-style, here’s how you’d do it. [Open Culture]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

05/23/12

LinkOut

Anne Vyalitsyna Is A Super Senior

via Fashion Faves

Peace and Quiet: Esky talks to Bill Murray about the movie biz and what he wants for Father’s Day. [Esquire]

Fisti-French-cuffs: You’ve never seen two tuxedoed gents duel it out in hand-to-hand combat on a beach? Hercules Universal’s new S/S lookbook should solve that. [HTTGAP]

It’s Not Delivery: Aston Martin hands Cool Hunting the keys to a Vantage—and they proceed to zigzag across NYC in search of each borough’s best pizza. That’s one idea… [Cool Hunting]

Suspended Belief: Buzzfeed makes a case for wearing suspenders. We’re not sure we agree, but for some reason, we can’t look away. [Buzzfeed]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

04/27/12

LinkOut

Heather Marks Thought She Ordered Something Else

via Fashion Faves

When Pranks Aren’t Funny: The first round of the NFL draft happened last night. A few kids became millionaires. One kid thought he did for a couple minutes. [Deadspin]

Hooked on a Fellini: Vulture takes you behind the gates at the world’s most heralded film studio—Rome’s Cinecittà. [Vulture]

Going Yard: Esquire’s guide to everything you need to tend to your land/that rooftop putting green you just planted. [Esquire]

Kate Upton Is Really into Horses: And other things you should bring up during your next conversation with her. [GQ]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

02/17/12

Well Pressed

The Lost Pages of Esquire’s Jon Hamm Profile

Jon Hamm is Esquire’s cover story this month, but the profile itself is a little… unusual.

That’s a delicate way of saying “off-the-rails crazy.” Just to prove he can, Tom Chiarella peppers the profile with outrageous lies on the level of a Chuck Norris joke. So in the first thousand words, we learn that Hamm sleeps in a self-designed hoverbed, keeps four eagles in his own likeness and cannot read. Apparently, he also has a new movie coming out.

If you haven’t read it, it’s here, but we’ve got something else for you first. In the name of investigative Hamm journalism, we dug up a few lost pages from an early draft of the piece. (A midnight burglary of the Hearst Tower may have been involved.) Check it out after the jump…

The lost pages of Esquire’s Jon Hamm profile, acquired through suspicious means»

ALL Well Pressed

TAGS

02/09/12

LinkOut

Constance Jablonski Is Keeping Her Florist in Business

via Fashion Gone Rogue

Practice: Nitsuh Abebe breaks down the scene and the status behind Jay-Z’s two-night-stand at Carnegie Hall. Legendary stuff, for both of them. [Vulture]

The Heavy Coat: Ten bloggers (including your humble correspondent) weigh in on their favorite outerwear pieces. It’s a good year for the duffle coat. [Esquire]

To the Letter: Now that it’s warmer, a new crop of handsome letter jackets from Dehen. [Selectism]

The First Star: Anne Helen Petersen chronicles the rise and precipitous fall of Fatty Arbuckle. Old Hollywood catastrophe at its finest. [The Hairpin]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

04/27/11

LinkOut

Hana Jirickova is Fascinated By Your Explanation of Game of Thrones

via WBE

Staying Bright: A gentleman’s guide to wearing white pants, courtesy of Esky’s Big Black Book. For our money, we’d save the true whites for denim. [Esquire]

Today’s Factory Tour: Behind the scenes at a t-shirt factory. [Free/Man]

Dressing Up: Rivieras get a floral upgrade. [Selectism]

The Climbers: Glenn O’Brien’s opus on social climbing has finally hit the web. [GQ]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

03/30/11

Dept. of Corrections

End of the Trend: Mad Men Edition

See if this sounds familiar: a brilliant cultural phenomenon arrives to wild acclaim, and suddenly everyone wants a piece of it. There are trend pieces, magazine covers and for a solid eighteen months it seems like the whole media engine runs on the fumes of this one magical creation. Then everyone gets famous and, four years later, the tastemakers in question finally confess to being over it.

You can set your watch to it…or at least your calendar.

In this case, the magican creation is Mad Men and the sour turn comes from Esquire. And, naturally, they’re right. The two-inch tie isn’t what it used to be, and a thin-lapelled suit won’t raise the eyebrows it did in ’07. But we’d like to think there’s more to it than that.

Allow us to elaborate…»

ALL Dept. of Corrections

TAGS

11/19/10

LinkOut

Amanda Kerlin May Have Eaten the Wrong Brownie

via Model Net

The Holiday Cocktail: Esquire runs down the dos and don’ts of holiday cocktailing. Apparently pumpkin is a don’t. [Esquire]

Thanks, Man: As we head into the holiday week, here’s an ode to the art of saying “thanks.” [Fast Company]

We Are Entirely in Earnest: A non-satirical publication reveals the true purpose of the TSA full-body scanners is, in fact, penis measurement. Troubling news. [McSweeney’s]

The Man is a National Treasure: The best Ghostface story you will ever hear. [Tumblr]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

10/08/10

LinkOut

Marta has the Beach to Herself

via LikeCool

Only PBR, Please: Apparently Orvis makes a wool beer coozie. Sometimes, that’s all you need to know. [10engines]

After Paper: Esquire makes a pretty handsome iPad, as it turns out. [Mashable]

A Girl and a Gun: From the department of answered prayers: Al Pacino will be starring in a Phil Spector biopic for HBO, penned by David Mamet. We can’t wait. [NYTimes]

Water Free: Some day soon, we will all be using drip-free umbrellas. [Yanko Design]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

09/30/10

Dept. of Corrections

The Style of Power

In the wake of a raft of pieces praising all the hoodie style on display in The Social Network, there’s a surprising confusion in the air about whether or not it’s actually a good idea to wear hoodies in a business context. Just to clarify, it’s not.

The argument goes something like this: Wearing pajamas to a board meeting means you don’t care, and only genuinely powerful people can afford not to care, so wearing clothes that say Gap on them should be more of a power move than all the silk ties on Madison Avenue.

Needless to say, there are a few problems…»

ALL Dept. of Corrections

TAGS

08/30/10

LinkOut

Ieva Laguna Is Shrinking

via Fashion Gone Rogue

Give and Take: Ivy Style examines the life and career of Kensuke Ishizu, the man behind “Take Ivy.” Needless to say, he kept busy. [Ivy Style]

Georgia On Our Mind: The Cut has an exclusive video of Georgia Jagger’s latest turn as Hudson’s spokeswoman. We’re equal parts enthralled and dizzy. [The Cut]

And The Winner Is…: Esquire tallies the winners and losers of men’s fashion at last night’s Emmys. Hint: It’s not lupus. [Esquire]

Chrome Spinning: Google and Arcade Fire have teamed up to create a *WWA*-esqe interactive video. Fret not, the overwhelming amount of pop-up windows are part of the video. [Wired]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

07/21/10

LinkOut

Sarah Dumont is Reclining

via Fashion Gone Rogue

A Gentleman’s Guide to Drinking at Work: Esquire continues to edify, with this piece on drinking at work. Hopefully none of their readers are operating heavy machinery. [Esquire]

One Love Desu: Apparently Japanese reggae is a thing now. Go figure. [The Moment]

Temple of the Dog: Faile just graced Lisbon a mini-temple in the round, one of the cooler pieces of street art we’ve ever seen. Here’s a detailed summary. [Stick2Target]

Loafing: Stubbs & Wooton makes some pretty awesome espadrilles. [Sartorially Inclined]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

06/28/10

Good Idea

A Man of Letters

The “manly skills” department usually focuses on things like chopping lumber and applying sunscreen, but one of our most-prized abilities just got its due thanks to Tom Chiarella’s ode to the well-written love letter. If we were going to take a shot at rebuilding masculinity, this is where we’d start.

Here’s the key: no bullshit. There’s a workmanlike emotional honesty to a well-penned love letter; that means nothing fluffy and nothing you’re not sure is true. Sincerity and unguarded emotion are hard to ignore. And if that leads to a little more sincerity in the rest of your life, all the better. At the very least, it’ll give you more to write about.

And for god’s sake, don’t use a printer.

ALL Good Idea

TAGS

06/14/10

LinkOut

Kylie Minogue is Beachbound

via Blackbook

Crew Cut: The Journal goes inside Mickey Drexler’s J.Crew, and the day Gap broke his heart. [Wall Street Journal]

Come on Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: In honor of the country singer/sausage tycoon’s death, Esquire tells us what he learned. The best one: “the majority of all wounds are self-inflicted.” [Esquire]

Not the Science Guy: Bill Nighy has extremely strong feelings about linen suits. [The Telegraph]

One More Time: Would you like to see an amateur reenactment of one of the 80s most exciting World Cup matches? Of course you would. [World’s Best Ever]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

06/09/10

LinkOut

Chloe Sevigny is like a Lady Cobain

Each Generation Gets the Hipster Periodicals it Deserves: Vice stops through Louisiana for its community service. The result is fittingly titled, “Louisiana Goddamn.” [VICE]

A Gentleman’s Guide to Laserlike Focus: Alain de Botton introduces the concept of the mental diet. If anyone asks, that’s why we haven’t seen the new Lady Gaga video yet. [City Journal]

It Was Pretty Sweet in the Beginning: Esquire publishes a comprehensive guide to American manhood, from graduating high school through several midlife crises and eventual (implied) death. It’s maybe more real than they meant it to be. [Esquire]

Ice, Man: The cultural death pact that is Bros Icing Bros has reached the pages of the New York Times. Apparently even The National is doing it. Nobody comes out of that one looking good. [NYTimes]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS

04/30/10

LinkOut

Butt is the New Black

We Are Not Kidding: The Times stoops to conquer a trend post on the rise of the posterior as the hot body part of 2010. It does feel like we’ve been seeing a lot of those lately. [The Moment]

Weekend Plans: A timely consideration of the most gentlemanly of cocktails: the mint julep. [Secret Forts]

A Man in Full: David Coggins, today’s coolest man alive, stops by for a little video wisdom. [Valet]

Pabst! Blue! Ribbon!: The chaps at Esky make the case for David Lynch as a style icon. He’s certainly influenced our choice in beer. [Esquire]

ALL LinkOut

TAGS