Epaulet has been on a real tear lately. What started as a well-appointed menswear shop on a sleepy Brooklyn block selling Aldens next to Japanese selvage has turned into a bona fide menswear label with an ever-growing line of oxfords, chinos, suits and even leather café racer jackets.
The latest: minimalist calfskin sneakers based on 1960s tennis shoes. And like everything they make in-house, the attention to detail is high.
Today’s must-reads from around the Internet.
Summer is nigh.
Really, it’s closer than you might think. But we’re not there yet. (We’re still about a month out from white bucks and sundress season.) Though, with spring rains giving way to warmer sunnier days—we promise—it’s time to start easing into the summer spirit.
Which is why we’d like to direct your attention to our leftmost column—where we’ve refreshed our seasonal crop of must-haves for this warm-but-not-yet-hot time of year we’ve dubbed “pre-summer.”
Now that you’ve made the all-important seasonal footwear shift, it’s time to start thinking about your canvas sneakers.
You may have noticed over the past weekend: you weren’t the only person wearing a pair of white canvas sneakers—or “plimsolls” to the Anglophiles—not by a long shot. Hence, it might be time to start considering a pair cut from a different, more colorful cloth.
Herewith, the seven not-white cotton sneakers to consider for spring...»
We’ve seen the future of your footwear, and it’s right here. The gents over at The Hill-side took us through their upcoming spring/fall collections and, aside from the standout selvedge indigo covert stripe they’re using just about everywhere, the real star is their new sneaker collection.
It’s the first time they’re delving into footwear independently and they’ve done a stellar job—sourcing materials and construction from the best of Japan. They’ve got low-tops hitting the shelves for spring, and a range of high-tops and chukkas coming for fall ’14.
Every Wednesday, we’re giving you a deeper look into what makes the minds behind Kempt tick. We call it: The Kempt Five.
Presenting the creators, clothing and comestibles we’re feeling this week.»
Some things are best left to the professionals.
Like wearing jorts. Or casual-ing up your daily suit-and-tie routine with some sneakers. Today, we discuss the latter.
A staple of haphazardly dapper rebellion long before modern menswear editors brought it to the mainstream, the suit-sneaker combo is not, in fact, a recent development. (Check out the guy on the right in this iconic image if you don’t believe us.) And when perfected, it’s a look that oozes nonchalant cool. But attempting it (and succeeding) can prove a weighty endeavor for even the most seasoned sartorial veteran...
By this time of year, white canvas sneakers are thick on the ground.
And while we’re fans of the simple, utilitarian pleasures of the common plimsoll, they’re nearing their saturation point—meaning, it’s about time you started venturing into the even summerier depths of footwear. Madras. Linen. Seersucker. Swimsuit material. All proven summer fabrics that have found their way onto shoes, so we rounded up your best options.
The Fourth of July is so close, we can nearly taste it.
And we’ve always been of the mind that when it comes to dressing for the most patriotic day of the year, you’ve got permission to get loud. Therefore, to fully commit to the spirit of the day, we’ve rounded up your finest options for donning an all red, white and blue kit—made entirely in the good old US of A, naturally.