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A lot of great new labels arrived on the scene in 2011—the most we’ve seen in recent memory—so we thought we’d give a much-deserved victory lap to our five favorites. They range from homegrown Italiana to biker-tough outerwear, and they’ve been pulling together some of the most exciting ideas in menswear and making clued-in gentlemen look like rock stars from February on. If you were waiting for a chance to get acquainted, now’s the time.
Previously the patron saint of nebbish frames, Moscot’s put together a pretty impressive catalog over the past few years—including a few frames that are a good deal more sleek than the thick black squares you’re used to. Case in point: these newly released Grovers. It’s a shape that’s surprisingly hard to come by these days: a little less boxy and a little more goggley than the sharp corners Moscot built their name on. It’s the same hazy, bookish acetates, but a little more adventurous and a whole lot less professorial. Which, all told, is probably a good thing.
The Hipster Museum: Ryan McGinley (who you might remember) gets upscale with a black & white portrait series. [The Moment]
Robot Love: Spike Jonze new short lands online. Good stuff, if you’ve got some time. [/Film]
Surprisingly, Not Thirteen Years Old: Sitting down with Moot, the head of 4chan and one of the rulers of the net’s seedy lizard brain. [Bits]
It’s a Frame-Up: Moscot’s latest offering lands somewhere between Fidel Castro and Marcello Mastroanni. [Cool Hunting]
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Behind You!: This is by far the least revealing photo in the decidedly NSFW spread. [Fashion Copious]
Wild Eyes: Complex talks their way into a Moscot factory tour. Our jealousy, as always, is thinly veiled. [Complex]
Don’t Fuck Around With Love: Unearthing a lost, dirty-mouthed doo-wop track. [BlackBook]
Book ‘em: Bruce McCall ponders how to make use of the world’s books. Options include skeet shooting and ritual immolation. [Vanity Fair]
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A Serious Man, the Coen Brother’s latest, hits theaters this week, and if you’re a frames nerd like us, you’ll notice one sartorial item getting an unusual amount of screen time. In addition to a shlubbified Mad Men closet and a truly impressive selection of early 60s ties, Larry Gopnik spends the film sporting an enviable pair of Moscot Lemtoshes. In fact, it may be the only enviable thing about him.
Gopnik also spends the movie being pummeled by metaphysical torment, which is probably why the Coen connection hasn’t found its way into more press releases. As a costume, it’s pitch-perfect: Moscot’s such a beloved brand because people like your dad wore them—or at least the better dressed version of your dad who ends up in movies—but mortgage payments rarely find their way into that particular pitch.
Personally, we came out of the movie with a greater desire for nebbish frames…but results may vary.
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New York Cheesecake Factory: Vanity Fair confirms its relevance in these troubled times with a slideshow of some of their best pictures. [Vanity Fair]
Eye Spy: Complex catches on to our second favorite optician. [Complex]
Up Close: Interview sits down with Junya Watanabe, and tries to figure out what’s up with all those inside-out jackets. They do not succeed. [Interview]
Happy Birthday: Jon Hamm, better known as Don Draper, turns 38 today. We wish him the best of luck with his acting and bathroom-based-meat-product careers. [TakePart]
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Collaborations between classic masters and younger brands are thick on the ground these days—yes, Moscot, we’re looking at you—but there aren’t many as well suited as Duckie Brown and Florsheim.
Duckie Brown has been mining Savile Row-style classicism for a while now, so it’s no surprise they finally brought some real cobblers on board. The real surprise here is the subtle shifts they bring in, like adding blues and greens to the leather-dyeing palate, matching the sole rubber to the color of the shoe, and putting out a whole line of cap-toes fastened with metal studs.
Best of all, they’re pricing the bulk of the line at $295, as a gesture to modern times.
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We love a good pair of shades, but unfortunately it’s too easy to mess up a good thing. For instance, let’s take an icon, known for its classic simplicity and connection to the past. And then we’ll fold it in half!
They even throw in a hardshell case, which almost makes up for completely missing the point.
Saks Fifth Ave [via Uncrate]
**Bitterness in Print**: The Times tears into *Victoria’s Secret*’s Herald Square outpost. Apparently one of the perfumes “smells like an alcoholic twinkie.” [NYT]
**Tartan Life**: Pondering the subtle charms of the plaid topcoat. [A Suitable Wardrobe]
**Arms Race**: Kenneth Cole prefers tattoos to guns. [Racked]
**Sounds Familiar**: Our favorite sunglasses get a little more recognition. [Refinery29]
**Bespoken**: The national press catches on to the LES tailoring boom. Even if they do call it “Mark Andrews Bespoke.”[DNR]
If last year’s overwhelming resurgence of Ray Ban Wayfarers taught us anything, it’s that in matters of eyewear, everyone looks cooler in old stuff. Earnest Sewn—the masters of coopting quirky-but-classic brands—will take the idea one step further and about a century back, when Moscot’s pop-up shop opens in Earnest Sewn’s MPD store this spring.
Paying homage to the New York eyeglass store that opened in 1915 (that’s a solid 22 years pre-Ray Ban and 68 years pre-Risky Business), the shop will offer Moscot’s Original eyeglass and sunglass frames, as well as two new, collaborative, limited edition styles: the Lemtosh Frame in Buffalo Horn and a new, lighter Blond. So you can take a little chance without running the risk of resembling 1985 Tom Cruise.
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