Kempt

Michelle Williams Is Really Getting into This Marilyn Business

A Dangerous Method: Michelle Williams gets the profile treatment from GQ, coming off every bit as stable as Marilyn Monroe. [GQ]

Suit Up: In praise of the personal uniform, whether it’s Steve Jobs or Thom Browne. [Valet]

Clint Eastwood Is a Badass: The story of a 21-year-old Clint Eastwood, a plane crash at sea and a two-mile swim in very cold water. [The Scuttlefish]

The Faces of Market Week: Ryan Plett offers black-and-white snaps of the Ovadia twins and Matt from Sid Mashburn, among others. [TravelWell]

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11/29/11

Barbara Bates Has Just Seen a Man in a Double-Breasted Suit

Via WBE

All’s Fair: A gentleman’s guide to Fair Isle sweaters, including some great gloves, ties, hats and socks in the pattern. [Valet]

Five on Five: The social etiquette of the high five. Don’t risk another one until you’ve watched this riveting film. [MIEN Magazine]

A New Drink: Thom Browne is getting into the scotch business. Nicely done. [Driven]

Give ‘em the Boot: Six plain-toe boot options from Brad of Well Spent. Our money’s still on the Red Wings. [Details]

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10/13/11

Mr. Browne Goes Online

Thom Browne made the leap to e-commerce this morning, including everything short of tailoring. (Rightfully, he wants you to get measured in person before you buy a suit.) That means shirts, ties, and, our favorite, the slim cardigans that have become his most distinctive item in recent years. Also, if you had a burning urge for a monolithic leather doctor’s bag, they might be able to hook you up.

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06/06/11

Mime Noir

It’s easy to forget just how cool Thom Browne can be when he gives it a go. These grainy snaps of Browne’s Black Fleece collection just popped up featuring the same high-water pants and newly high waistlines. And thanks to the black-and-white film, it comes off a lot more mysterious than we’re used to from Thom. Bogey would be proud.

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05/10/11

But naturally, you’re going to have to click through to find out what it is»

Valerie Van De Graaf is a Conspicuous Detective

via Fashion Gone Rogue

The Lion in Winter: In his later years, Churchill favored a twist on our favored continental breakfast. A whiskey soda is involved.
[A Suitable Wardrobe]

Knife Shopping in Milan: Touring Italy, Michael Williams finds the most unpretentious, utilitarian shop in Milan—a knife store. Of course. [A Continuous Lean]

A Trad’s Guide: Jesse Thorn sits down with Thom Browne and the head of made-to-measure at J.Press. There will be shaggy does. [Put This On]

Bull Market: The last supper of the legendary El Bulli. [The Moment]

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04/18/11

Scene

Kempt Man of the Hour: Daniel Radcliffe

Getty Images, see it full size

Daniel Radcliffe is not George Clooney. He’s also not James Bond. He is, for the moment at least, Harry Potter—and he doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.

This snap comes from the premiere of his latest Broadway Venture, How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying. The answer, apparently, is to have Thom Browne in your corner. His tux comes from Browne’s Black Fleece collaboration with Brooks Brothers, and boasts one of shortest jackets you’ll ever see on a tuxedo. And without taking sides in the jacket wars, it’s pretty handsome stuff.

It’s not an elegant look—more boyish than masterful—but for a young man engaging in the most boyish kind of theater there is, it’s a perfect fit. (The tousled pocket square doesn’t hurt either.) It’s also won’t convince anyone to cast him as Macbeth, but we doubt he’ll lose much sleep over it.

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04/07/11

Bad Idea/Good Idea

The Single Most Important Detail When Buying a Jacket

Buying a jacket’s one of the more complex wardrobe decisions a man can make. There’s the snug shoulder, the placement of the buttons, the lapel width and—to pick a recent menswear hobby horse—padded vs. reconstructed shoulders.

And while that’s all important stuff, there’s something even more crucial that’s gone almost completely unmentioned. And unlike the others, which usually work themselves out among the higher-end brands, it varies wildly depending on where you go. It’s a huge, bold statement that most men don’t even know they’re making.

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03/22/11

Here’s what you need to know»

A Gentleman’s Guide to the Short-Sleeved Button-Down

First, the good news: it’s almost warm again.

And to aid the monumental wardrobe shift you’ll be undertaking over the next few weeks, we’d like to reintroduce you to an old acquaintance: the short-sleeved button down.

It’s the nerdy younger brother of the polo shirt, and a surprisingly difficult piece to pull off right. In theory, it’s your office-appropriate answer to summer’s unforgiving heat, but since too many gentlemen end up resembling Dwight Schrute, we thought we’d put together a modern guide to the S/S/B/D.

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03/16/11

Sound & Vision

Kempt Endorses: Rappers Dressing Like This

We aren’t entirely up on the new crop of acts emerging out of SXSW, but we know what we like. One thing we like: when rappers wear tie pins.

This is L.A.’s own Shawn Chrystopher, an unsigned, Fiasco-esque rapper who made an impression with an unusually well-dressed performance in Austin. If he keeps up this look, he’s well on his way to being the Thom Browne of hip-hop.

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02/14/11

Object

The Soft Bulletin

Our main criterion for a summer polo is feel. You want it soft, breathable and light enough to pass for a t-shirt—all of which makes an undershirt company a pretty good candidate.

Sunspel has been making English underwear for 150 years now (they claim to have introduced the boxer short to England), along with a few plain-color polos. But they’re finally branching out into more adventurous styles for their new Spring/Summer crop.

This one in particular is sharp enough to pass for Thom Browne—tricolor stripes and all. And given that Mr. Browne has borrowed fabrics from Sunspel before, it’s only right.

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01/24/11

Scott Caan is the New Juergen Teller

Renaissance Man: Scott Caan muses on the dubious quality of Hawaii 5-0 and his sideline photographing hotel nudes. [Esquire]

Dispatches from the Edge of Sanity: Thom Browne’s Paris show suggests androgyny, classicism and drug use. [The Moment]

The Watchmen: Jason Chow guides us to the perfect watch if you’re only going to own one. If possible, it should have a portrait of your face in jewels. [WSJ]

Stankonia: A Canadian student goes 15 months without washing his jeans or causing a bacterial outbreak. We are of mixed opinion. [ABC]

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11/17/10

Christina Hendricks is Fueled by Diamonds

via Guyism

Mr. Browne Speaks: Thom Browne weighs in on New York’s most common style mistake and being asked to design the tuxedo for Mr. Peanut. [GQ UK]

The 1-Step Productivity Plan…: ….is getting up early. Seriously, that’s the whole thing. You may find that you prefer an unproductive life. [The 99 Percent]

Girls Will Talk: Why the new Girl Talk album is awesome, in so many words. [The Awl]

A Gentleman’s Guide to National Unfriend Day: Or, how to politely back out of an online friendship, as if it were a women’s bathroom. Start with ex-girlfriends. [Gizmodo]

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09/20/10

The Return of the Poncho

Now that the dust has settled on Fashion Week, we thought we’d take a quick inventory of a few of the more practical lessons we picked up amid the blur of shows and after-parties. First on the docket: the return of the poncho.

This item comes from Thom Browne’s latest crop of Black Fleece gear for Brooks Brothers, and along with the classic trench, it’s his only protection against inclement weather. The fabric is a weather-proofed synthetic, but it still looks pretty dapper when dropped over a black-tie getup. Not bad for an item we were most accustomed to seeing on the shoulders of state troopers.

And if your poncho-lust is so strong that it can’t be held in check until this item hits stores in February, you might want to look into vintage British army capes—just to get you through the rainy season.

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08/23/10

Object

Scarf of the Year

It won’t be scarf weather for at least a couple months, but we doubt if you’ll find a better example than this one. Courtesy of Thom Browne (by way of Moncler Gamme Bleu), it manages to combine Mr. Browne’s trademark tweediness with a touch of alpine glamour—making it the rare scarf that plays equally well in Mayberry and Lucerne. The designer price tag is every bit as eye-popping as you’d expect…but we can still dream.

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03/22/10

The Return of Missy Rayder

The Italian School: Vogue Italia shows off their contemplative side. [Fashion Copious]

Don’t Try This at Home: Tom Bissell has spent the past few years hooked on cocaine and Grand Theft Auto. We can’t decide which one’s worse… [The Guardian]

Art Rock: Rothko gets an internet-age update, thanks to a few choice gifs. [Blackbook]

Buttoned Down: Thom Browne’s Supreme collab raises eyebrows…and not in a good way. [Sartorially Inclined]

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03/16/10

Going Dotty

Thom Browne has been venturing away from the shrunken suit look lately, but this (hat tip) might be the first piece he’s made that counts as Kanye-esque.

The shell is a classic Americana piece, a rainwear parka that wouldn’t look too out of place on Clark Griswold, but once you add polka dots it starts to look an awful lot like streetwear. It is a hoodie, after all.

We’re certainly not complaining; it’s always good to see a designer testing the limits of their talent. We just didn’t expect there to be so much in it for Pharrell.

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09/15/09

Then we got to this sentence…»

Waste Not, Want Not

Suiting scraps are getting more and more play these days. The Dieline just gave us a first peek at the packaging for Black Fleece’s new fragrance, and the precious bottle’s cushioned with—you guessed it—fabric swatches. We’re guessing they had a few handy.

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06/23/09

Big Picture

Line Up

via Hypebeast

This pic comes from Moncler’s S/S 2010 show at Milan’s Piscina Cozzi. Thom Browne organized the line and the event, continuing his string of somewhat megalomaniacal unveilings.

I, for one, welcome our new overlords.

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06/18/09

Dept. of Corrections

Changing of the Guard

This morning’s Style section boasted a remarkably detailed summary of something that’s been going on behind the scenes for years now: the ongoing Japanese love affair with American preppy style. ACL gets a little much-deserved love, Daiki Suzuki gushes about Thom Browne’s Japanese style, and all is right with the world.

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05/28/09

The Google Box

In the Shadows: Katy Perry goes all expressionist for Complex. [Complex]

I, For One, Welcome Our New Overlords: On the heels of Google Wave, the Mountain View gang unveil something that looks suspiciously like virtual reality. Sadly, the swimsuit module will take a bit more time to perfect. [PSFK]

Only Getting Madder: Mad Men’s third season will have an extra commercial break and two fewer minutes per episode. And yes, we’re so Hamm-starved that this qualifies as news. [Vulture]

Pencil it In: The style world gets sketched. We hope Thom Browne’s nose is ok… [Men.Style]

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03/25/09

But Thom Browne seems to be working from a different blueprint»

Double Dutch, Comedians’ Comedians, and the Dangers of Pink

Girl from the Low Countries: For posterity’s sake: the definitive guide to Dutch women. [YesButNoButYes]

Some Kind of Comedian: The top ten comedians according to other comedians. We don’t know how Dane Cook missed this one. [Vulture]

Like Red but Not Quite: Nick Sullivan ponders the joys and dangers of the pinkish hue. We prefer “salmon” ourselves. [Esquire]

Gone Beggin’: Our new favorite Thom may be having some financial difficulties. He can always fall back on his acting career… [The Cut]

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03/24/09

Ad Rock

Off the Reservation

One of big takeaways from Battle of the Toms is how genuinely strange Thom Browne.

Compare this ad with some of Tom Ford’s glossy stills. Ford is exactly what we expect from a men’s designer: European influences, a gay sense of irony, and a generally hypermasculine style. Advertising aside, he’s not that different from Valentino, Hedi Slimane, or any of the designers that built the industry. He’s selling couture and sex together, just like everyone else in Bloomingdale’s.

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02/17/09

The Deep North

Last time we checked in with Mjolk, they were pushing discreet checks, small collars and Thom Browne-esque hem lengths.

This time around the pants are a bit looser and they’re a bit more adventurous with color—particularly the lemon hue that’s ended up on a few of their latest socks and shirts—but the basic aesthetic is the same. Which is fine by us.

See more of Mjolk»

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02/04/09