Archive for the ‘ fashion ’ Category

j. crew suiting

jcrewbluesuit

hello.  how are you?  it’s been a minute since i posted something on here.  i am truly sorry.  i wish i could promise more posts on the reg, but 2016 has proven to be a crazy year.  for example, i met an amazing girl, my company was bought by another company, i’m getting a new dog, i lost 20 lbs…and a billion of other things that you’re probably not overly concerned with.  one thing that i’ve done that might pique your interest is update my suiting game at the request of the wonderful woman i am dating.

when i first met alex, i was repping a couple a couple of brooks brothers suits that i’ll admit i thought looked pretty good.  they were tailored albeit a little loose after the weight drop, but again i didn’t think they looked that bad.  i was wrong.  we met for lunch one day and while going to grab us water i turned around to find her staring at me.  without saying these exact words, she pretty much said, “that thing looks horrid and i will never eat lunch with you again if you continue to wear suits like that.”  point taken.  it was time to get a new suit.   Continue reading

j. crew fall/winter 2012

frank muytgens is one of my favorite designers, because he makes things i can wear and afford. his j. crew f/w 2012 collection didn’t disappoint.  he kept things on the dark side by offering their usual fair in darker blues, purples, greys, and greens.  one thing that caught my eye was the green alden brogues on some of the models – especially when paired with purple socks.  i also spy some dark navy red wings that would look good on my feet.  solid collection all around.  here are some of my favorite looks:

Continue reading

holiday gift idea: imogene + willie gift card

if you haven’t heard of nashville’s own imogene + willie, then you’ve been living under a rock.  they’re slowly taking over the world one pair of jeans at a time.  one of the top things on my christmas list is a gift card from their superb store.  and if you don’t live in nashville, you can check out the recently launched imogene + willie park & bond shop that features a lot of cool items like a 1954 gibson southern jumbo guitar.

shout out to valet

i went to order a new pair of rubber mocs yesterday and noticed the shout out to valet on l.l. bean’s website.  it reads “as seen in valet magazine, october 2011.”  that small mention made me very happy for their team.  i’ve been reading valet since 2008 (i think) and wouldn’t have a blog or be interested in half the stuff i’m interested in without them.  they do such an incredible job of helping dudes like me find cool things on the internet.  i would guess that most of my readership has come from valet’s generous mentions of to take the train via their morning report.  if you’re not checking out valet everyday then you need to be.  keep up the good work and thanks for all you do.

j. crew sweater collective

i planned to do a post on the sweaters i liked this season from various stores/designers, but found about 10 i liked from j. crew.  i tend to buy most of my sweaters at j. crew because of the quality and price.  i’ll do a follow up post on other sweaters later this month.  until then here are my 5 favorite from j. crew:

shawl collar henley

cotton-cashmere v-neck

lambwool crewneck

lambswool fair isle

cashmere sweatshirt 

sid mashburn on creative mornings

thanks for the heads up artnhustle.  sid is about as cool as it gets.  it’s interesting to learn more about his start in the business and how he separates his brand from the competition.  he makes the point that you can buy a shirt anywhere, but it’s how you take care of the customer that keeps them coming back.  i think that’s true in any business.  also love hearing him say that “creativity is a team sport.”  i’ve never thought of it that way.

barbour on a budget

a couple of weeks ago i received an email from a guy named jake lester.  he was asking my opinion about buying a barbour jacket on ebay.  he specifically wanted to know if i had any tips on how to spot a fake.  one of the easiest ways is the detail on the buttons.  a fake barbour won’t have embossed buttons with the barbour name.  barbour’s website has a few more useful tips if you’re interested in that kind of thing.

he sent me a link to a jacket he wanted to place a bid on.  the seller had sold barbour jackets in the past and had positive feedback.  i told him to go for it.  unfortunately, the jacket was pulled before the auction ended.  bummer.

yesterday afternoon i got another email from jake telling me that he told his mom and grandmother to be on the lookout for anything barbour as they did their antique and thrift shopping (they both own stores).  lo and behold his grandmother found a beaufort in his size for three dollars at one of her routine stops.  she sent him the pictures that you see below.  what an incredible find.  if this doesn’t entice you to step out to your local thrift store every once in a while, then i don’t know what will.  thanks for sharing, jake.

baractua: coming soon to a theater near you

hollywood’s had a long standing relationship with the baracuta harrington jacket dating back to elvis in the movie king creole in 1958.  since then, hollywood has reintroduced the jacket from generation to generation.  in the 1960’s, steve mcqueen made the jacket legendary in the thomas crown affair.  in the 80’s, michael keaton wore one in mr. mom, and a few years later, clark kent (christopher reeve) used the jacket to hide his real identity as superman in the film of the same name.  it’s been 20+ years since those films and the time for reintroduction is apparently now.

most fashion savvy bloggers have had their baracuta ever since they discovered steve mcqueen and bought their first pair of desert boots, but the rest of the population hasn’t quite caught on.  that might not be the case after this fall.  i’m starting to see an uptick in the coverage the jacket is getting on our tv and movie screens.  i noticed one earlier this year in the hangover part 2.  i’ve also seen it in previews for the new season of bored to death and the upcoming blockbuster killer elite.  no matter where you see it this fall, it’s still as classic and iconic as it’s ever been.  i’d say welcome back, but it hasn’t really gone anywhere.

and elvis in king creole

the perfect fall shirt: the oxford button down

fall is right around the corner.  if you’re thinking about what shirts you should stock up on this season, look no further than the classic oxford button down.  they never go out of style and you can never have too many.  plus they’re low maintenance – they look good nicely ironed or a little bit wrinkled.  i tend to stick the classic blue and white, but don’t let that prevent you from adding some color to your life.  here are four companies doing oxfords right:

ralph lauren

gant

j. crew

gitman bros vintage

the moras have arrived

you might remember a couple of weeks ago when i mentioned allen edmonds were bringing back their mora double monk strap shoes for their custom collection.  it took a day of deliberation, but i ordered a pair in the chili burnished calf.  they said it would take 6-8 weeks for the shoes to arrive.  well, they surprised me last wednesday when they sent me an email saying they had shipped and would be here friday.  i missed the ups person last week, so they were dropped off this morning.  they are absolutely perfect in every way (as you can see below).  if you’re on the fence about double monks or unsure of which place you should click buy, give these a try.  you won’t be disappointed.