May 26, 2013 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Ralph Lauren”
05/24/13
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LinkOut

Touring the Barbour Factory, Ralph Lauren’s New Denim Shop and the Real-Deal Bleeding Madras

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Barbour Shop Quartet: A Continuous Lean takes a behind-the-scenes look at how Barbour makes their highly coveted outerwear.

BYO Sailboat: Valet finds some timely summer style inspiration in one of the best who’s ever done it: John F. Kennedy.

Supply and Demand: GQ gets a first look at Ralph Lauren’s latest brick-and-mortar for the newly minted Denim & Supply.

Mad Game: Put This On finds a stash of vintage bleeding madras—the good old stuff that would actually get ruined in the wash… in a good way.

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04/05/13
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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 the Southern Gent: Billy Reid is knocking 25% off all of his rusticated dapperness with the code SPRING25.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A+

For the Prepster: Take 25% off select styles of Ralph Lauren’s preppy goodness with the code RLGIVING13.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: A-

For American Basics: Stock up on classic spring and summer gear with Lands’ End’s “Buttondowns & Beyond” event, with 25% off and free shipping.
Discount: B+
Sizes Available: A
Selection: B+

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

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12/07/12
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Well Pressed

The December Issues

As your calendar should’ve notified you, we’re a week into December—which means the new crop of magazines hit the newsstands a little bit ago. But in case they got lost in the holiday jumble, we’ve flipped through them all to give you the lowdown on everything you need to know about this month in menswear journalism.

The December issues were full of reflection on a year that seemed more dismal to some (Esquire) than others (GQ) and mostly about watching TV to Details. And, for the first two, possibly about ushering in a new era of the casually printed nipple. (Here’s to looking forward to 2013 on that one.)

Without further ado, we bring you the month in menswear journalism.»
 

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11/16/12
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Good Idea

Winning the Holidays, Step One: Upgrade Your Kitsch

News flash: Thanksgiving is next week.

Which means, officially, that the holiday season is upon us. And while you might think it’s all fun, cuddling, togetherness and games… it’s not. It’s a competition. And we’re going to help you win it, in this new ongoing series we’re calling “Kempt’s Guide to Winning the Holidays.” (Catchy, right? We’ll be tagging it all, so you can find it here.) And for our inaugural post, we’re starting with the utmost basics: your holiday kitsch.

Here are the five upgrades to your holiday kitsch that should prepare you mentally, physically and reindeer-sweater-ly for total holiday domination…»
 

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11/15/12
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Labeled

Ralph Lauren Goes Vintage

Ralph Lauren is one of Americana’s most venerable institutions. He’s managed to clothe an entire nation—from the cable-knitted Northeast to the denim-on-denim’d Southwest.

And as a testament to that legacy, the brand is launching the webshop RL Vintage today. After a small army of vintage clothing enthusiasts/historians was assembled, the team set out, rummaging through the finer flea markets and antique shops to put together a veritable museum of Polo-centric Americana—well, a museum that you can actually buy things from. For the men’s offerings, you can expect a lot of suede—and even some fringe—but something we’re really looking forward to is the “Bring It Back” program that lets Polo fanatics dig through the archives and vote on pieces they’d like to see reissued. Whatever gets the most votes will actually go into production as a limited-run throwback. Currently on deck is the Polo Bear sweater, beloved by grandmothers, rappers and menswear bloggers alike.

Take a closer look at what’s in store at RL Vintage, after the jump.»
 

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11/12/12
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Do Not Fear the Turtleneck

The turtleneck. It’s a statement, for sure—and not the easiest one to make without verging on creepy Euro-beanik, or for lack of a better word: dweeby.

The trick is to avoid some common pitfalls—wearing something too gauzy, too tight or with a maniacally steadfast gaze. There’s a sweet spot in the middle there. And we’re going to help you find it, by taking some subtle cues from some of the most stylish guys to ever do it.

And now, a master class in the turtleneck, courtesy of five icons of style.»
 

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11/05/12
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LinkOut

Karolina Kurková Is Being Followed by a Personal Sunray

Karolina Kurkovavia Fashion Gone Rogue

Under the Rug: Sad news for budding rebel-prepsters everywhere, RL’s Rugby is closing up shop. Jian DeLeon pens a well-deserved eulogy. [Four Pins]

Finish Him: By now your Halloween jack-o’-lantern is ready for the glue factory—here’s 10 slow-motion ideas on how to smash it. [Thrash Lab]

Uncool Mail: It’s hard to believe, but Hotmail was still the most popular webmail provider until this weekend. (Google wins again.) [SF Gate]

Sea of Jeans: GQ drops in at the San Franciscan institution of denim known as AB Fits. [GQ]

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07/12/12
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LinkOut

Rianne ten Haken Is Keeping the Doctor Away

Applevia Fashion Faves

Politics as Usual: More blowback from the Olympic ceremony uniforms—this time from politicians “outraged” that Ralph Lauren’s making the duds in China. [Washington Post]

A Little Bit Country: A breakdown of Loro Piano’s mastery of the “citified casual” look. [Die Workwear]

Guy Behind the Guy: The Atlanticreveals the faces behind some of television’s most important faceless characters. [The Atlantic]

Hustle and Flow: NPR has a handy flowchart to help you decide, once and for all, whether you live in a “real city” or not. (Those living in places that begin with an “M” and end in “anhattan” need not apply.) [NPR]

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07/11/12
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What's What

Red, White and Sacrebleu

Ralph Lauren’s Olympic opening ceremony uniforms for Team USA have been unveiled finally and, as expected, Ralph nailed it with the double-breasted blazer, club collar and white bucks… but we can’t quite wrap our heads around that hat. Is it, dare we say, a beret? It can’t be, can it? You might as well grab the flag out of Ryan Lochte’s hand and replace it with a baguette, draw a pencil mustache on him and tell him to stop bathing all while cooing at him like Pepé Le Pew.

All right, maybe we’re jumping to conclusions here. Let’s just call it a “puffy hat” and leave it at that. (As long as we keep on bringing home the gold and not surrendering to Germany, we should have nothing to worry about.)

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05/04/12
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Sale-ing

Ralph Lauren’s bastion of prepsterdom, Rugby, just kicked off an Insider Sale with 40% off a majority of their spring gear—this is stuff you can wear right now, a rare treat compared to most sales hawking off-season wares. In particular, we’re liking the university chinos (in every color imaginable) and this summer-ready ticking stripe cotton sack jacket, but there’s plenty more to dig through. Get after it, gentlemen.

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04/19/12
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This Sporting Life

America, Buck Yeah

Outfitter to the Olympians Ralph Lauren has unveiled Team America’s off-duty uniforms—what our countrymen will be wearing around London’s Olympic Village when they’re not asserting our athletic dominance on the rest of the world. And while the ceremony uniform is an appropriately summery affair in all white, there’s one thing that had us feeling especially patriotic: those white bucks, red brick soles and all. Ever since the Southern gentleman’s staple migrated northward, it’s become the closest thing to American ceremonial dress in summer as we’ve got. It’s a clever nod to Americana by Mr. Lauren that isn’t as kitsch as stars and stripes. And to that, we salute.

But we’d suggest that our Olympians ditch the socks—and maybe don a little gold.

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01/24/12
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LinkOut

Evan Rachel Wood Got That Tattoo in the Navy

Evan Rachel Woodvia Fashion Gone Rogue

True Blue: The Midwest Style chaps return with an ode to the blue blazer. Their jeans aren’t so bad either. [The Midwest Style]

Just Add Lava: Dan Kois is taking ideas on how to fix the Oscars. The most promising so far: “Make It All Muppets.” We’d watch that. [Slate]

So Much Navajo: The Dutch mag tours the Rhinelander mansion, Ralph Lauren’s sprawling Manhattan flagship store. The pics are every bit as good as you’d think. [Tenue de Nîmes]

To Follow or Not to Follow: Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about models on Tumblr. [Oyster Mag]

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11/01/11
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Scene

Kempt Man of the Hour: Ralph Lauren

On the heels of yesterday’s vintage Ralph pic, we’ve managed to track down a slightly more recent picture. And it looks like the man hasn’t lost a step.

This snap comes from last week’s Lincoln Center gala honoring Mr. Lauren. The guest list was pretty impressive—but we’re more interested in that double-breasted tux, a broad-shouldered, small-waisted marvel that looks like it was transported direct from 1976. In a good way.

And lest you think it’s a nostalgia trip, his son managed to pull off a similar model just as well.

Apparently outsized elegance just gets better with age.

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10/31/11
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Big Picture

Ralph Lauren and the Large Leather Duffel

This snap of Ralph Lauren has been making the tumblr rounds today, and converting more than a few bloggers to the gospel of the large leather duffel bag. Of course, this shot was taken in the time before rollaways, but if you don’t mind the workout, you can find a similar item here.

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10/21/11
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LinkOut

Natalie Wood Has Kidnapped Your Dog

Natalie Woodvia LIFE

”Country Gentleman Copy” Doesn’t Exactly Roll Off The Tongue: Lauren Bans pulls down the definitive Hipster Cop interview. Apparently he’s a big Ralph Lauren fan. [GQ]

Behind The Undershirt: Simon Crompton’s humorously named “Underwear Project” proceeds with an in-depth look at Sunspel. [Permanent Style]

Reasons to Learn to Drive Stick: The 1967 Maserati Mistral Coupe is an extremely handsome car. That is all. [Driven]

Blades of Steel: A guide to the deadly art of knife-throwing. You should assume your enemies have already read it. [Art of Manliness]

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10/14/11
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Paz de la Huerta Is Playing a Thumb Piano

Paz de la Huertavia Flaunt

Wild Days, Wild Years: Patti Smith is still pretty awesome, it turns out. [The Moment]

I Think I’m Going to Ralph: As a break from his comprehensive Ferrari collection, here’s an enormous picture of Ralph Lauren’s Jeep. [Driven]

The Perfect Rugby Shirt: The cotton wizards at Columbiaknit have stitched together a rugby shirt. If you’re in the market, you won’t find a better one. [Archival Clothing]

And Just Because It’s Friday: Here’s a video of feeding time for 100 dogs on an aristocratic English manse. [GOOD]

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09/09/11
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Labeled

RRL Moves Online

For a globe-spanning, multi-billion-dollar luxury brand, Ralph Lauren’s pretty good at keeping a secret.

We’re thinking of their heritage-themed RRL brand, which has been their most coveted and rarely seen collection for almost 15 years now. Unless you were lucky enough to stop through Nolita, Georgetown or Malibu on a regular basis, it was rare to see a whole collection in one place.

But now, the label’s finally made its way to e-commerce.

At the moment they’re in a Scottish phase, so you’ll find Donegal tweeds and Fair Isle cardigans—but there’ll be plenty more as the seasons roll on. And if nothing else, you’ll find a whole lot of handsome ferrotypes.

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08/17/11
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LinkOut

Zuzana Gregorova is Arm-Wrestling Her Hair

Zuzana Gregorovavia WBE

These Are the Hats of our Lives: Your humble narrator faces off against The Grungy Gentleman on the question of gentlemen’s hats. [Esquire]

Fantastic Voyage: Ralph Lauren offers a peek at his latest batch of goods, across all the labels. Gatsby is well represented. [WWD]

The Top Seventeen: GQ unveils their first batch of commercified goods at Park & Bond. We’re loving the Filson briefcase. [GQ]

In Which Math Solves Everything: MB proposes the perfect ratio of sideburn length to sideburn width. Remember, it’s only a theory… [Magnificent Bastard]

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08/12/11
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LinkOut

Petra Nemcova has been stranded on this beach since 2003

Petra Nemcovavia Sports Illustrated

The Roger Ebert Of Rap: We sat through all the broadsheet journalist fat-chewing over Watch The Thrown’s braggadocio and income-gap rap, but all along we just wondered how Ghostface Killah felt about the whole thing. [Big Ghost Chronicles]

The P.Diddy Of Prep: Ralph Lauren goes for a name change. Drops the Polo prefix. [Selectism]

What You’re Watching This Weekend: With the arrival of 30 Minutes or Less, Vulture declares this the summer of raunch-com and conducts an empirical study on the seven raunchiest of 2011. [Vulture]

Your Weekly Dose Of Tie Porn: Courtesy of Mr. Mort. [Mr. Mort]

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08/10/11
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LinkOut

Lily Collins Can Feel it Coming in the Air Tonight

Lily Collinsvia Esquire

Out of the Past: Valet drops wisdom on the proper form for vintage shopping. Our advice: follow the tweed. [Valet]

One Color at a Time: The principles of monochromatic style. [The Midwest Style]

Digital Love: Behind the scenes at Ralph Lauren’s digital reinvention. [Fast Company]

Canary Yellow: It turns out E. Tautz makes a pretty pimp peacoat. [Selectism]

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07/06/11
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Icon

The Icon: Ted Turner

tedturner

There weren’t always moguls. Once upon a time, there were only businessmen (who wore suits) and a long line of ambitious strivers trying to become businessmen. If anyone was going to shake things up, sartorially speaking, it was going to have to come from the top. So we thought we’d take a moment to honor one of the men who made it happen, as one of a seemingly never-ending string of bizarre accomplishments.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Ted Turner…»

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07/01/11
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This Sporting Life

The Unsung Style Hero of Wimbledon

wimbledonjudgevia LIFE

As Wimbledon draws to a close, we’re ready to call style winners. And while we won’t bore you with another rant about how they all dressed better in the 20s, we will say this: the best-dressed gentleman of the evening was not to be found on the court. Or at least, not at ground level…

No, our favorite outfit of the tournament came from the chair umpires. (Unlike the rest of us, they actually have an excuse for wearing a piped jacket.) The clothes come courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren, but the look comes from hundreds of years of British lawn games, from croquet to, well, grass court tennis. The master stroke is matching his cream colored sneakers and pants, and keeping both blessedly free of grass stains.

Looking sharp is all the more important since the Cyclops system has made him largely decorative. Now that a computer’s making the hard calls, this gentleman’s main purpose is to sit above the net and look pretty. By our lights, he did a great job.

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05/19/11
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LinkOut

Rashida Jones’ Impression of a Cat

Rashida Jonesvia GQ

The Look of Determination: The latest self-made lookbook combines a purple Phineas Cole DB with a deadly serious life mantra. [Less Gentle Men]

The Founding Father of the Wide Tie: Ralph Lauren sat down with Oprah for her final show, and a few kindly bloggers distilled the crucial info. [Mediabistro]

Mr. X, We Presume: A photoset in honor of Malcolm X’s 86th Birthday. In optical clubmasters, as in many things, he was ahead of his time. [Secret Forts]

The Greatest Actress in the World: Visual proof of Kirsten Dunst’s acting talents, in gif form. Not to be missed. [Four Four]

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02/25/11
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Labeled

Ralphwatch 2011

blacklabeldenim_crop.jpg

Through untold acts of espionage, we managed to get our hands on Ralph Lauren’s Fall 2011 lookbook…and it’s pretty handsome stuff. Of particular note: this Chaplin-esque ensemble from the newly launched Black Label Denim line. (Yes, that’s denim and yes, those are pleats.)

Elsewhere, Purple Label dips into Prohibition-chic, tiny collars abound, and enormous socks continue their moment in the sun. We even spotted a few friendship bracelets on the polo end of things.

It won’t be in stores for a good six months, but it should be worth the wait. Flip through the haul after the jump.

Take a look…»

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12/20/10
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LinkOut

Tati Cotliar is Leaning With It, Rocking With It

taticotliar_crop.jpgvia Fashion Copious

Humor, Skill, Wit, Sex Appeal, in that Order: Robert Redford drops a little wisdom on the willing chaps at Esquire. By now, he’s super-wise. [Esquire]

Apparently He Lets Bloggers Test-Drive Them: A tour of Ralph Lauren’s dozens of vintage Ferraris. Related: Ralph Lauren is fabulously wealthy. [Vanity Fair]

A Brief History of the Lounge Suit: The business suit is now 150 years old. [The Economist]

There Goes the Afternoon: A roundup of the 90 most fascinating longform journalism pieces of the year. [Longform.org]

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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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