May 22, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“guides”
03/25/13
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This Sporting Life

Introducing Baseball Week: Catching a Foul Ball

Opening Day

America’s Pastime returns to regular season play this weekend, so in our countdown to opening day, we’re proclaiming it Baseball Week here on Kempt.

Deep in the baseball almanac of 2012 lies a very extraordinary yet underpublicized stat: your humble blogger caught two foul balls in the stands last season.

And luckily for you, I, as a seasoned veteran of foul ball fielding, plan on taking you under my wing Bull Durham–style to teach you the ways of the elusive foul ball catch. You will learn from my mistakes (and my triumphs) and we’ll grow all the closer for it. (As long as we don’t let Susan Sarandon make things weird). So when that life-defining moment finally arrives, and you’ve got a baseball hurling toward your face like an orb of red-stitched destiny, you’ll know exactly how to play it.

Herewith: a user’s guide to catching a foul ball.»
 

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03/18/13
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Good Idea

Your Spring Awakening Begins Now: The Checklist

Spring Menswear

Wednesday marks the vernal equinox and thus the official end to winter and beginning of spring.

Which means you’ve basically got this week to check off any lingering items on your winter bucket list, and then get yourself fully into spring mode. (And you know what that means: the reappearance of sundresses. Lovely, lovely sundresses.)

So, during this week, we’re helping you out with a little series we like to call “Your Spring Awakening.” And we begin with your spring preparedness guide (you may want to print this out and tape it to your bathroom mirror).

Herewith, everything you should have done by week’s end.»
 

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02/04/13
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The Code

A Gentleman’s Guide to Kissing Strangers

Hepburn

You’ve been lauded for your handshake since you were a teen. A beautiful union of eye contact, pressure and two perfect pumps. But the world is a diverse and sometimes nefarious place full of French women, Argentine men, Real Housewives, wealthy grandmothers, amputees… none of whom care about your handshake.

This week is especially dangerous: it’s Fashion Week, when New York City will be flooded with designers, Europeans, the wealthy, people who have become wealthy via designing things in Europe… In short, you’re going to need this more than ever:

The gentleman’s guide to the cheek kiss.»
 

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01/30/13
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Pony Express

Your Six-Step Path to Pocket-Square Enlightenment

Here at Kempt HQ, we often receive letters from our readers—most of it adoring fan mail, but every so often we get a nude photo. Also every so often, we get an inquiry from a wayward soul that we feel compelled to answer…

“Pocket squares. I have them. I also have blazers. I want to wear pocket squares in my blazers. But not all squares are sized alike, and neither are all pockets. What should I be looking for? I have a pile of unused squares in a drawer, yearning to be free.”

While it sounds like a simple sizing issue, this conundrum goes a lot deeper, centering on how one approaches the philosophy of the pocket square. So, dear reader, we’ve come up with a six-step plan to put you on the path to pocket-square enlightenment.»
 

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01/15/13
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The Past

Dusting Off: The Condescending Nickname

Here at Kempt, we always endorse abiding by the due prescriptions of social courtesy and politeness.

But sometimes you need to take someone down a peg. You’re not trying to be disrespectful or mean outright—just to give a subtle reminder that you’ve got their number. After all, there’s a difference between a slight dig and fighting words.

Since in a few months Jay Gatsby will return to screens everywhere to give a master class on the subject, old sports, we decided it was high time to dust off the practice (and give you a few ideas on where to start).

So, eyes up front, champ—this is the Kempt guide to the condescending nickname.»
 

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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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