A few years ago, British writer Alain de Botton penned an essay on why we hate cheap things. His point was simple: we don’t think we’re snobs, but we often behave like we are. We conflate worth with price and assume cheap things can’t be any good – after all, there must be a reason why they’re cheap. And in doing so, we miss many of the more common pleasures surrounding us. 

His essay starts with the story of the pineapple. Once a rare and exotic fruit, pineapples were difficult to cultivate and even more difficult to transport. In the 17th century, a single pineapple would cost about $7,500 in today’s dollars. Only royalty could afford to eat it. Russia’s Catherine the Great was a big fan, as was Charles II of England. Grand monuments and buildings were erected in its honor; poems were written about its flavor. If you were so lucky to get a pineapple, you’d put it on your mantle until it rotted and fell apart. Pineapples were a luxury, even a status symbol. 

Then, at the end of the 19th century, two things happened. First, large commercial plantations were set up closer to the West, such as in Hawaii. Second, the advent of steam ship technology dramatically lowered transportation costs. Today, you can get a pineapple for less than $5 in almost any supermarket, sometimes available in bite-sized pieces contained in see-through boxes. There’s no glamour to pineapples anymore, but it’s not because the fruit has changed – only our attitude towards it. 

Keep reading

 

Traveling can be rough, especially during the holidays. Last year, I decided to treat myself to some Rimowa luggage – suitcases built on four wheels that I can easily roll through airports when trying to catch a flight. Airports are often harried and stressful places, but I figured I can make the experience a little better with good luggage. 

For all the online articles about luggage, surprisingly few focus on both form and function. It’s not hard to find posts about various features – the spacious pockets and smart technologies – but many suitcases, frankly, are kind of ugly. You can get bags nowadays that will weigh themselves and give you GPS tracking anywhere in the world, but few that will do the simple job of looking good. That said, if you’re curious about some of the more innovative designs that have come out in the last few years, just browse YouTube. Some are interesting, some really interesting, and some outright bad. 

One of the inherent problems with luggage reviews is that few people, including me, have enough experience with different brands to give a comparative perspective. Doing so means testing out enough models across a range of price points, as well as flying frequently enough to put a piece of luggage through the paces. I’ve flown with my Rimowas a little more than half a dozen times now. Not enough to give a meaningful review, but enough to confirm everything I’ve heard is true. 

Keep reading

I have to admit, this blog is mostly full of random posts until I can gather enough photos to do something on Yukio Akamine. For all the men who are admired nowadays for their sense of style, you’d be surprised how many weren’t always so well dressed. Like the rest of us, they wore things that perhaps weren’t so great in 20/ 20 hindsight. You can search forever, however, and you’ll never find a bad photograph of Akamine. The idea of timelessness is often overwrought, overused, and even overvalued, but there’s something to be said about how his style has aged so well over the years. 

Akamine, for those unfamiliar, is a style consultant in Japan who runs a small label called Akamine Royal Line. He’s been a popular figure on various menswear blogs for years, often photographed by street style sites such as The Sartorialist. Back in the day, before there was Blogspot or Tumblr, Akamine had his own site instructing men on the finer details of men’s style. He had the sort of tutorials you’d find in Men’s Ex, where a photograph of a well-dressed man was punctuated with various “dos and donts.” I can’t read Japanese, so I never understood the text, but the photographs alone kept me coming back. 

One of the things I love about Akamine’s style is how well he combines English, Italian, and French influences. He wears suits and sport coats from Liverano, ties from Drake’s, shirts from Charvet, and shoes from John Lobb. The shoulder line on his jackets is always soft and sloping, but also slightly extended to give his frame a flattering v-shaped figure. The trousers are trim; the overcoats generously sized. The shirt collars are long enough such that the points neatly tuck behind his jacket’s lapels. And as conservative as his dress may seem, his outfits have a lot of personality – knits layered on top of each other, socks worn to match dress shirts, and monochrome outfits riffing off one color. 

Keep reading

We’re doing a Black Friday sales roundup at Put This On. The list is massive, reaching into the hundreds of stores, and we’ll be updating the list from now until Sunday as we learn of new promotions. For those who want something more manageable, I thought I’d put together ten sales from the list that I think are worth specially highlighting. Combine this with this past week’s posts on other Black Friday deals and you have nineteen Black Friday sales that I think are worth checking out. 

Marcus Malmborg: Up to 70% off Eidos

As you may have heard, Antonio Ciongoli is leaving Eidos as its Creative Director after next season’s collection. The line will be taken over by Simon Spurr, who’s known for his sleeker NYC sense of style, while Antonio is moving on to do a new men’s line for Roller Rabbit. Word is that the line will be inspired by East Indian traditions, including hand block printing, which I find really exciting. 

Keep reading

End just started their Black Friday sale. Much like Mr. Porter, the selection here is massive. The UK retailer carries everything from niche Japanese labels to old British names favored by traditionalists and fashion enthusiasts alike. They’re widely known for their limited sneaker drops, but I also love them for their general casualwear. You can find labels such as Nigel Cabourn, Inverallan, and Orslow here, as well as more contemporary brands such as Maison Margiela. 

For Black Friday, they’re offering 20% off with the checkout code BLACKFRIDAY. That may not sound like much, but the prices here are already about 20% lower than what you’ll find in the US (they discount for VAT, but that deduction is already included in the listed prices). Better still, the code stacks on already-discounted items in the sale section, which will give you the best deals. 

Some of my favorite things here include the textured knitwear. There are some lofty Shetlands from brands such as Jamieson’s and Howlin’ by Morrison, the second of which uses old, traditional Scottish knitting techniques for new and youthful designs. Inverallan is a cult favorite for their hefty, cabled cardigans and Arans; SNS Herning makes unique bobble-stitch knitwear that you can layer under rugged coats. Just be sure to size up on those Herning sweaters – they fit very slim. 

Keep reading

Black Friday sales are upon us. Every year, I roundup some of my favorites both here and at Put This On (we’ll have a comprehensive list of every worthwhile sale later this week, on Friday). Some of my favorite stores, however, are getting a jump on things. Many have started their Black Friday promotions already, with discounts going as deep as 50% off. From Mr. Porter to No Man Walks Alone to East Dane, here are eight early-bird sales I think are pretty great. 

Mr. Porter: Up to 30% Off Select Items

Mr. Porter’s massive selection has put them in everyone’s orbit. Whether you favor classic tailored clothing, Japanese workwear, or oversized, minimalist contemporary garb, Mr. Porter likely carries more than a handful of brands for you. 

Keep reading

 

For men who wish to dress better, the first cardinal rule anyone learns is to avoid black. Black suits are for morticians and Model United Nations representatives. Black shirts are for magicians and cruise ship DJs. Black shoes, at best, are for suits and eveningwear. In fact, giving up square-toed black shoes in favor of more anatomically correct brown ones became something of a rite of passage for well-dressed men twenty years ago. And in binning those shoes, many have learned to avoid black entirely. 

The thing to remember is that color has a rich and complex social meaning outside of traditional rules. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, black has come to signal arrogance and evil thanks to its association with anarchists, motorcycle rebels, and fascists. At the same time, it’s the color of humility and discretion. Think of how Quakers and Orthodox Jews have wrapped themselves in black in order to show their religious devotion. Additionally, writers and poets during The Beat Movement made black an intellectual color; designers such as Givenchy and Armani made it cool and cultivated. 

This nuanced appreciation of color is natural in womenswear, but it can take a while for more traditionally minded guys to think outside the box (or, at least, it did for me). Black footwear is de rigueur with navy and grey suits, and you wouldn’t want to wear anything else with a tuxedo. However, black can also be great for casual days. Black nicely complements colors such as navy and green, largely because of how those combos are associated with the military. With other black pieces, black can also look austere and chic. And in certain styles, such as Gucci’s horsebit loafer, black is simply iconic. 

Keep reading

The explosion of sportswear and designer clothing after the Second World War shattered dress norms. Whereas men in the pre-war era were united by their allegiance to the coat and tie, fashion became a lot more diverse and divergent after the 1950s. Prole gear such as chambray shirts, five-pocket jeans, and white tees became popular off the worksite precisely because they represented something different – something more rebellious – to the more formal buttoned-down and strait-laced look of the establishment. Bruce Boyer has a nice essay about it in his book Rebel Style. 

To the degree there’s still a male uniform in the United States, it’s the dress shirt with dark jeans and a smooth merino knit. It’s the final outfit for men who don’t wear tailored jackets – the thing they can use to go to churches, offices, and other conservative settings without fear of drawing unwanted attention. It’s the thing your mother wanted you to wear when it came time to have your yearbook portrait taken. And likely what most men will be wearing next month at holiday parties.

The uniform persists for a reason. Shallow v-necks with dress collars underneath frame the face in a way that t-shirts can’t, and the combination gives a vague sense of formality without actually being formal. The look is nearly failsafe, but it’s also devoid of personality. A finely knit sweater in plain navy or gray is about as good of a candidate as any for a menswear staple, but I find I rarely wear mine. 

Keep reading

 

If there was ever a reason to care about global warming – aside from total death of all living things on this planet – our ability to wear cool jackets should be it. As each year gets warmer and warmer, it feels like the opportunity to wear our favorite fall and winter clothes is getting shorter and shorter. It’s been unseasonably warm these past few months, but luckily the temperatures just dropped low enough to break out our favorite outerwear. And let’s be honest. Men’s style revolves around outerwear. 

Menswear blogs this time of year are often filled with lists about seasonal essentials – the perfect pea coat, the ideal trench. All of which can be great, but also feel a bit too generic to be personal. So while this isn’t a list of  menswear essentials, here’s a list of eight outerwear styles that have me excited this year. Hopefully you can find something here that also works for you. 

 

Keep reading

I suppose one of the advantages of fall weather coming late is you get to take advantage of sales right when you actually want to wear heavy coats and knitwear. Today, Unionmade started their mid-season promotion. You can take 20% off almost anything with the checkout code FINALLYFALL. The only exclusions I see are Aldens, Il Bisonte, Birkenstock, and already marked-down items. 

The discount isn’t that deep, but it looks like the store has loosened their return policy. Mid-season sale purchases can now be returned, whereas Unionmade typically runs their end-of-season promotions on a final sale basis. That makes it a bit safer to take a chance on something. Some notable items I found:

• Levi’s Vintage Clothing: Levi’s Vintage Clothing recycles designs from the company’s expansive archive. I particularly like this hardy, loosely woven, red plaid shirt, which looks like it would layer well under rugged jackets. Their straight-legged 1947 501s are also great. The cut is slim, but forgiving, with a mid-rise that works with everything from sport coats to casualwear. 
  
• Kapital: This Japanese brand reworks folk clothing from around the world, producing things in odd fits and heavily patched up materials. I love their Ring Coat, for example, which is something like a love child between a Japanese kimono and an American army jacket. It’s oversized and enveloping, and will make you feel a bit cozier on a cold winter day. 
  
• Chimala: Subtler than Kapital, but more detailed than LVC, Chimala makes vintage-inspired workwear that looks like it’s been pulled out of the best thrift stores. Their chambray is one of my favorite casual button-ups. I also like this season’s canvas hunting coat, even if it’s clearly designed to only help you hunt for compliments. 
  

• Eidos: One of the easiest casualwear brands to wear. The designer behind the label, Antonio, is particularly good at making overcoats and knitwear, which can be paired with anything from jeans to tailored trousers. This season, they also have an indigo-dyed double rider, which was manufactured for them by leather jacket specialist Vanson. 
  
• Studio Nicholson: Maybe the most contemporary brand at Unionmade, this one veers towards minimalism and modernism, rather than workwear. Studio Nicholson is a celebrated womenswear brand that recently started making men’s clothing. I particularly like their oversized topcoats.  
• Knitwear, Knitwear, Knitwear: Finally, there are a ton of great sweaters on discount. See Howlin’ by Morrison’s Donegal crewnecks, Tomorrowland’s zig-zag alpacas, and John Sterner’s turtlenecks. The last one is a new brand by the man who founded Sutterheim. Some of the knits in there are insanely priced, but the simpler Lithuanian-made sweaters are more affordable. Well, at least with this mid-season promotion. 

For more discounts, you can check out Unionmade’s sale section. Just note those are final sale and the code doesn’t stack. 

Keep reading