Archive for April, 2012

top of the heap at red clay soul

jay over at red clay soul has been doing a feature called “top of the heap” where he’s asked a couple of bloggers to send him a picture and a brief description one of their favorite things.  i was fortunate to be included and to have my entry posted this morning.  here’s what i wrote for rcs:

my favorite piece in my whole closet is this t-shirt from my high school.  it was given to me on the first day of my freshman year.  it was supposed to be just for gym class, but every student wore theirs outside of school.  it was like a rite of passage: you made it to high school; you got the grey mba t-shirt.  they changed gym shirt companies my sophomore year and switched to a cheaper, starchier material and a lighter color of grey.  i’ve had this one now for 15 years and it’s still in great shape despite several girlfriends in college trying to steal it and one roommate offering me $200 for it.  there’s a lot of history in this shirt.

thanks again, jay.  i’m lovin’ the “top of the heap” series.

2012
04/27
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shirts
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dad jeans

my old man (and one of my style icons) bought his very first pair of imogene + willie jeans today. after trying on both the willie and the barton, he went with the barton. it was his first time in the store and definitely won’t be his last. looking sharp, dad.

note: i snapped this pic before they took his measurements.  he didn’t walk out of the store with that much cuff.

2012
04/25
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new tune tuesday with jack white

there was a point in my life when jack white could do no wrong.  he reached “genius” level after 2003’s elephant, but then out of nowhere the white stripes broke up.  i assured myself that everything was going to be ok, because white was the driving force behind that band.  shortly after the break up, white moved to nashville and formed the raconteurs with indie favorite brendan benson.  the album came out and didn’t meet expectations.  don’t get me wrong, it was decent, but not stripes caliber.  after the raconteurs, white formed the dead weather with the lady from the kills.  the music was solid, but lyrics and vocals weren’t enough to fill the void left by the white stripes.  in my opinion, jack’s problem was trying to showcase the talent around him instead of his own.

good news: he’s back.  white’s first solo album blunderbuss was released today and it’s a throwback to the white stripes days of old with heavier piano and a few nashville instruments thrown in the mix (fiddle, mandolin, steel pedal).  i’m one spin down and really diggin’ it so far.  one of my friends nailed the description: “it’s not as raw as the stripes, but not as polished as the raconteurs.”  i couldn’t agree more.  it’s good to have jack back at the center of the music.

also released today: ryan adams itunes session.  he plays a whiskeytown song.  seriously.

2012
04/24
CATEGORY
music
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dan auerbach inspired spring style

i have a bit of a dude crush on dan auerbach of the black keys.  we share the same affinity for red wing boots, nashville eateries, and good denim.  oh, and he makes kick ass music.  if i were rock star, i would treat my style the same way dan does: “the shit that i put on when i wake up every day is the shit that i wear on stage.”  with that said, i’ve put together an auerbach inspired kit for the spring.  i guess it’s time to add some short sleeve snap button western shirts to my arsenal.  after all, i do live in the snap button western shirt capital of the world.

levi’s short sleeve western shirt

gant rugger jean jacket

imogene + willie barton rigid jeans

oliver peoples sunglasses

frye emmett inside zip boots

2012
04/23
CATEGORY
music
people
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the shock the world sport coat

i thought last sunday’s episode of mad men was one of the best (don’t worry there are no spoilers ahead).  at the beginning of the episode, don is asked by pete’s wife, trudy, to go to their house in the suburbs for dinner.  don has every intention of declining the invitation, but trudy won’t take no for an answer.  before they head to the ‘burbs, megan convinces don to wear the new sport coat she bought for him which turns out to be a very un-don draper looking coat.

it’s strange to see don in something other than dark grey or dark blue, but this is the theme of the season: don’s a changed man.  if megan wants him to shock the internet world by wearing a loud, plaid coat then by god don’s going to do it and i don’t blame him.  i might be in the minority here, but i really like don’s “shock the world” sport coat – it’s 2012’s answer to 2011’s “go to hell” pants.  and while i’m at it, i think we should have more dinner parties where jackets are required.  i just hope my guests would show up.

2012
04/18
CATEGORY
tv
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jackie robinson off the field

april 15th is one of my favorite days in all of sports.  it’s jackie robinson day.  on april 15th, 1947 jackie robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball by becoming the first african american to play in the major leagues since it was segregated in 1889.  his efforts and determination both on and off the field were seen as one of the major steps in the civil rights revolution.  every year on this day, major league ballplayers wear #42 to honor jackie.  we’ve all seen pictures of him wearing his brooklyn dodgers uniform, but i thought it’d be cool to take a look at how he dressed when he wasn’t playing baseball.

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2012
04/15
CATEGORY
sports
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watch upgrade

i don’t own a nice watch which is not something i’ve been too concerned about until recently. i’m not sure if it’s my age or my profession as a banker, but lately i’ve been noticing what other people have on their wrists. a friend of mine has an incredible watch collection and has been trying to talk me into a nicer timepiece since i graduated from college. my response to him has always been what i like to call the sunglasses excuse: i’ll just lose it. well, it’s been almost 10 years since i graduated from college and i haven’t lost a pair of sunglasses yet (knock on wood). it’s time for me to invest in a watch. starting may 1, i’m putting all most #menswear purchases aside to save for said watch. i’ve got my sights set on a rolex – either the submariner or air king with the blue dial. i figured i needed to go with a classic; although, price and availability will probably dictate my decision. i’m not really much of a saver, so this is going to be quite a challenge. #firstworldproblems

2012
04/12
CATEGORY
watch
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thank you great lakes prep

i wanted to give a quick shout out to nick yoder at great lakes prep for including me in his “you ought to be reading” series.  he sent me a couple of questions to answer about to take the train and they are posted here.  i hope i don’t sound like a total d-bag.  thanks again, nick.

2012
04/11
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blog
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current obsession: red wing oxfords

it’s tough to justify wearing red wing work boots in the spring and summertime if you don’t technically need them for work.  ryan gosling is the exception, but he’s on a whole different level than you and me.  lucky for us, red wing makes a couple different styles of oxfords to solve this warm weather problem.  here are two options i have my eye on: 1) the red wing for j. crew plain toe oxford and 2) the red wing work oxford.  i don’t think i can go wrong with either one.

sizing tip: both of these oxfords are made on the 23 last which is the same last as the 875s, so you’re going to want to size down .5 or a whole size for them to fit correctly.

2012
04/11
CATEGORY
shoes
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jake davis test shots: sid mashburn

jake davis does great work.  if you’ve never seen his blog, you can check it out here.  every couple of weeks, he posts a “test shot” of someone he admires – which is basically a minute long, slow motion video of said individual set to cool music.  his latest test shot of sid mashburn is his best in my opinion.  i love jake’s description of sid:

from spending the afternoon with sid it’s very clear how much he loves, not just designing clothes, but the people that wear his clothing. and they love him right back. It was nearly impossible to shoot on the bridge behind his store without someone stopping to say, “hello.”

i had the pleasure of meeting sid one time away from his store.  he was meeting with a buddy of mine that i had run into at a coffee shop.  he recognized we were into our conversation and asked what we were talking about.  my friend told him we were grading our fantasy football draft.  sid got real excited and started asking about our teams.  i felt bad for cutting into their meeting time, but sid was legitimately interested.  he’s a genuine dude and jake’s test shot captures his personality perfectly.  thanks for sharing, jake.

2012
04/09
CATEGORY
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style
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