May 23, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Grooming”
05/03/13
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LinkOut

Sean Sullivan Hits the Road, Becoming a Funnier Tweeter and an Immersion Course in Brooklynese

Road trips

Road Range: Mr. Impossible Cool shares some road-trip wisdom and hits the road in a vintage Benz with an impossible amount of Ghurka luggage.

Funny Business: Twitter’s most successful quipster @MeganAmram shares her secrets for being a funny tweeter.

Going Full-Hipster: The Times has outdone themselves on their Brooklyn coverage, as a middle-aged “avowed Manhattanite” goes in-country for a long weekend of fixies and straight-razor shaves.

Pass the Bar: For the shower-gel averse, here are a few new bar soaps to consider that don’t have the word “Irish” or “Spring” stamped into them.

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11/26/12
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LinkOut

Rihanna Treats Her Body Like an Ancient Temple

Surely Temple: GQ digs up some more revealing outtakes from their latest cover shoot of The Umbrella’d One. [GQ]

Forever-ever?: Esquire catches up with André 3000 to talk grooming, music and his return to designing. Still no word on an Outkast reunion. [Esquire]

Girls 2 Women: A “Where are they now?” of every Bond girl—unsurprisingly, they’ve all aged gracefully. [Vulture]

Feeling Tart: A festive roundup of Scottish tartan menswear that should get you into the holiday spirit. [T Magazine]

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09/28/12
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Ad Rock

SPONSORED POST: Gillette® Clinical Strength

With all the layers you’re putting on and removing this time of year, it can be tricky to stay cool (especially in the generally moisture-prone region of your underarms).

Here to help you with that: Gillette Clinical Strength—an antiperspirant/deodorant with three times the dryness power of the average over-the-counter stick (merely double strength would be leaving things to chance). Consider it the ace up your sleeve when you’ve got to be a cool customer in high heat-and pressure situations—like nailing the intricate menswear “double-down” (a D-B suit with double monks), or heading into a boardroom with the temperature inexplicably turned up to “tropical.”

At least you told everyone you were heading to Rio on business.

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09/25/12
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Dioni Tabbers Runs a Tight Ship

via Selectism

Gangnam-busters: A journalist who grew up Gangnam-style explains life in the suddenly-most-well-known neighborhood ever, and the official birth of irony in Korea. [The Atlantic]

Tweezin’ Season: A master class in eyebrow maintenance—for guys not named Anthony Davis. [Details]

Scotch, Neat: The next time you find yourself in need of a bang-up haircut—while in Edinburgh—this is your place. [NY Times]

Game On: Vanity Fair tallies up President Obama’s impressive in-office sports résumé. [VF Daily]

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09/10/12
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Ad Rock

Sponsored Post: The Ferrari of Hair Clippers

Granted, you’ve already got an impossibly handsome head of hair—but there might be room for slight improvement…

Enter the Volare X1 by BaByliss Pro, hair clippers with an engine designed by Ferrari engineers that’s got about as much torque as a 360 Modena (we’re only speculating). Add to that a revolutionary Japanese blade system that’ll plow through even the wooliest of manes. The result: the sort of high-and-tight-ness that would put a tear in a drill sergeant’s eye—or Tom Ford’s.

Which reminds us, this comes just in time for Fashion Week.

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08/14/12
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This Sporting Life

There’s No “Painting Your Nails” in Baseball

Kurt Suzuki’s fingernails are bright yellow because…

A) He lost a bet in the clubhouse.

B) Some bruises bruise brightly.

C) This is between him and Jobu.

D) None of the above. Because there’s no “painting your nails” in baseball…»
 

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08/06/12
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High and Tight

The Unkempt Prince

We’ve said it once, we’ve said it in a slightly less dickish way once, and we’ll say pretty much the same thing once again: Prince William looks like an associate at a top private equity firm.

The only difference is that associates at top private equity firms know that male pattern baldness, when on display, must be taken high and tight. And they know that this is not up for debate.

Now we will bow to you and be on our way.

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06/15/12
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High and Tight

A Nubian Goat Walked into a Bar of Soap

A few days back, we received a press email from a stranger. This is not an uncommon event. Also, not an exciting event. Especially when it pertains to soap. But as we started to glance through this one, a series of unusual buzzwords piqued our interest. First off, they called their soap “Fancy Black Soap.” That’s the name of it. Bold. Pretentious. Now we’re on to something… Then the crazywords started tumbling toward us in droves: “volcanic ash,” “fresh milk from local pasture-raised Nubian goats,” “a secret Catskills Mountain location,” “hand poured.” So many, in fact, that we called in a sample of this stuff and decided to wallow in some dirt for a few days in preparation. Also, Googled Nubian goats.

To our surprise, the soap couldn’t talk, it didn’t hold the secret to the mysteries of the deep ocean, and it wasn’t wearing double monks. But it was a chocolate brown bar stamped with the words “GOAT MILK,” felt excellent on the skin and left us feeling aggressively clean. And sure, maybe we just think it’s great since Nubian goats are involved. But isn’t that enough?

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05/16/12
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Xenia Deli Is Daydreaming

via WBE

Good Will Stunting: The Washington Post has the first day of Cannes in slideshow form. Most notably, more Sacha Baron Cohen stunts—involving a model and a yacht. [Washington Post]

Unsure, Unsure, Unsure: Esquire investigates parabens—the latest scapegoat in personal hygiene products (like deodorant). [Esquire]

Olympian Ablaze: A heartwarming sports story of an American Olympian hopeful known for being “the McEnroe of Ping-Pong” and his penchant for herb. [Grantland]

The Newest Americana-phile: Jay-Z is headlining/curating a Made in America concert in Philly. Rolling Stone gets the details, while standing in front of a Pop-Up-Flea-sized American flag. (Watch the throne, Mr. Lean.) [Rolling Stone]

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05/15/12
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Conversation

Nick Offerman on Nudity, Drinking and Mustache Grooming

Our brothers in arms over at UrbanDaddy Chicago recently caught up with Illinois’s native son Nick Offerman, best known for his mustachioed brawniness (and playing a guy named Ron Swanson on TV). Below, we’ve got the full interview, including a few additional nuggets of wisdom that didn’t make it into the article.

We’ll spare you the Ditka jokes.»

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04/20/12
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High and Tight

Do Eyebrows Win Elections?

The furrowed presidential brow is also a well-groomed one.

So says Michael Gilman, founder of the Grooming Lounge in Washington, DC, who contends that “seven of the past eight [US presidential] elections have been won by the candidate with the best-groomed eyebrows.” Maddeningly, Mr. Gilman leaves us hanging on the exception.

So we took a closer look at the last eight presidential elections, brow to brow…»
 

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04/19/12
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Current Affairs

The Man Who Barbs Bernanke

Ben Bernanke is a powerful man—and while we’re not saying it’s entirely due to his luxuriant silver beard, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

So when one intrepid journalist tracked down the man who tends to the Federal Reserve chairman’s “ostentatiously silky” beard, we were understandably intrigued.

Apparently, the Fed has its own in-house barber, a well-appointed chap named Lenny Gilleo who claims Bernanke follows the same playbook as most of the bearded gentlemen we know: a trim and shaping every three or four weeks, and a lot of off-handed stroking in the interim. More interesting is that the barber only charges whatever Mr. Bernanke feels like paying.

In other words, when the beard wants you to do something, you do it. Well played, Ben.

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04/06/12
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Doing the Worm Is Harder Than It Looks

via YHBTI

On the Chin: In the latest Times piece, the grooming choices of golfers get more attention than they ever deserved. [NYTimes]

Behind the Wheel: An in-depth interview with the CEO/founder of cycling brand Rapha. [Hypebeast]

Fret by Fret: See how a Fender was made in 1959…and how they make them now. Not surprisingly, the present doesn’t measure up. [Open Culture]

False Riches: A few basic problems with pretending to have won the lottery. [The Atlantic Wire]

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03/29/12
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The Past

Historically Great Hair

This snap comes from a century-old price-fixing trial, where a baker named Jeff Lasher displayed a near-perfect long-haired coiffure. Take notes, men. The overcoat isn’t too shabby either.

ALL The Past
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03/20/12
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LinkOut

Abby Is Not Giving Your Shirt Back

Abbyvia Fashion Gone Rogue

The Love Song of Johnny Ramone: A choice excerpt from Johnny Ramone’s posthumous autobiography, detailing his early days in ’70s New York. [NYMag]

Panico in the Disco: Derek Guy details an afternoon with Naples’s own Antonio Panico, complete with copious espresso and patch pockets. [styleforum]

“Toward a More Bohemian Lifestyle”: The poetry of Glenn O’Brien, as relayed by the Unknown Hipster. [The Unknown Hipster]

The Wet Look Returns: In honor of Mad Men’s incipient return, here’s a guide to one of the best-loved Draper-era hair creams, Groom & Clean. [The American Project]

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03/08/12
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High and Tight

Is Bruce Springsteen Dyeing His Hair? A Critical Investigation

We’re pleased to see Bruce Springsteen back on the scene, supporting a new album…but there’s something different about him. We love the Boss, so it pains us to say this—but when a man of 62 appears with hair as consistently coltish as this, certain questions have to be asked. And as duly appointed grooming experts, we had no choice but to track down the answers…

A thorough investigation into Bruce Springsteen’s hair»
 

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02/15/12
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High and Tight

An Ode to the Muttonchop

If there’s one thing to be learned from Ambrose Everett Burnside, it’s that you can be dubbed “the most incompetent general of the Civil War” and still be feted in style blogs 150 years later. In the Battle of the Crater in 1864, Burnside succeeded in digging an explosive mine under a fort in the Confederate entrenchment, but failed to brief his own soldiers on the existence of said mine—into which they crammed, by the hundreds, figuring the massive crater to be an ideal bunker. Confederates surrounded the mine and, well, you’ve seen how this one turned out.

But we’re here not to revisit Burnside’s humiliating miscues on the field of battle, but rather to honor the glorious muttonchops on the general’s face—so glorious, in fact, that the term “sideburn” was dubbed in his (fittingly inverted) honor.

To that end, we offer five of the finest muttonchop specimens of all time…»
 

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02/15/12
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Bad Idea

Nail Polish for Bros

The world is a strange and confusing place.

Male nail polish, for instance, is apparently now a thing—and we can say without reservation that it is the greatest threat facing our nation at this time. Somehow, the more we learn about it, the more terrifying it becomes…

The horror that is “male polish,” explained»
 

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02/14/12
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High and Tight

Brad Pitt Has Overdosed on Hair Gel

Don’t worry, it’s for a role—and if we had to choose the appropriate hairstyle for a drug-addicted burglar, that would be pretty close.

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02/09/12
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High and Tight

The Best of the Worst Hair on the Mound

In July of 1973, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn issued a stern order to Pittsburg Pirates starting pitcher Dock Ellis, demanding that he cease and desist wearing curlers on the field during batting practice. True to his outspoken and controversial form, Ellis added several more every day for the rest of his road trip, stating that he simply “did not play good unless he looked good.”

One can appreciate Commissioner Kuhn’s concern: few positions in professional sports receive as much air time as major league pitchers. As such, when hurlers significantly stray from the Steinbrenner look, America takes notice.

To that end, in honor of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in 10 days, we present part one of a season-long grooming series on grooming pastimes in America’s pastime.

Under the Cap: The Best of the Worst Hair on the Mound»
 

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02/06/12
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Current Affairs

Does Mitt Romney Use Hair Product? A Critical Investigation

We’ve never been afraid to ask the tough questions.

It started when the personal stylist of one Willard Mitt Romney swore the candidate has never touched hair product. But Mr. Romney’s impeccable coif suggested otherwise, and from the campaign, there was only an eerie silence… as if there were something they didn’t want us to know.

So on the heels of Romney’s Nevada victory, we conducted a thorough investigation into the apparent styling habits of the Republican front-runner. The results may shock you.

We’re calling it pomade-gate. This one could go all the way to the top.

The shocking, secret truth about Mitt Romney’s hair»
 

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02/03/12
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High and Tight

“Brother, Can You Spare a Razor”

ROW ONE: Caleb Followill, Kings of Leon; Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes; Jim James, My Morning Jacket; Justin Vernon, Bon Iver
ROW TWO: Ray LaMontagne; Kyp Malone, TV on the Radio; Tyler Ramsey & Ben Bridwell, Band of Horses
ROW THREE: Samuel Beam, Iron and Wine; Dan Auerbach, The Black Keys; Devendra Banhart; Alex Ebert, Ima Robot

The bearded indie rock frontman is hardly a new phenomenon. Guys like Will Oldham, Chris Robinson and Jerry Garcia blazed that trail long ago (literally). Given the above collage, though, it appears the trail has been transformed into a well-paved thoroughfare connecting Coachella, Bonnaroo, SXSW, Glastonbury and wherever else present-day introspective rockers gather to perform before thousands of similarly bearded hipsters.

What’s behind the scruff…»
 

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02/01/12
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High and Tight

A Gentleman’s Guide to Smelling Like a Barbershop

You know the scent: that first whiff of razor dust and talc that hits you on your way through the barbershop door, along with a certain lemony tonic smell. It’s the same in nearly every shop, and every time it puts us in the same nostalgic mood.

The good news is, they bottle it.

It’s called Pinaud Clubman and it’s been occupying an unassuming corner of your local drugstore for two centuries now. And while we’re usually interested in the more modern end of the fragrance world, it’s hands-down one of the most classic scents in the world of man, combining a strong hit of alcohol with lemon, jasmine and all manner of unobtrusive odors.

In short, it smells like a freshly shaved man (200 years of incidental aromatherapy tends to leave an impression). And since it’s about as expensive as shaving cream, it’s also good news for anyone stretching his grooming budget.

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01/31/12
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Facial Hair Is Not a Treadmill

A reminder: it’s best to think of facial hair as an accessory. Ask too much of it and, like a loud pair of shades or an overused pocket square, it will eventually let you down. To that end, we respectfully offer:

Four things facial hair can’t do…»
 

ALL Bad Idea/Good Idea
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01/26/12
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High and Tight

Buzzing the Tower: Top Gun Grooming

Maverick, Iceman, Goose, Viper, Slider: egos writing checks that bodies couldn’t cash. If they screwed up just this much, they’d be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong. The Navy called it Fighter Weapons School. The fliers called it Top Gun.

And we call it the apex of High & Tight grooming…»
 

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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
Cadillac