The 1964 film Umbrellas of Cherbourg opens with this beautiful scene of Paris. It’s a wet and dreary day, and the camera pans down to one of the city’s dark-grey and muddy-brown roads. A few seconds in, someone wearing a yellow raincoat walks across the street. Then someone else opens a red umbrella. Suddenly, the screen is filled with bright coats and pastel-colored canopies – and just like with the rain, colors begin to pour across the screen.  

I think of that scene sometimes when choosing an umbrella. Black is the only color that should be in everyone’s closet (it goes with everything), but if I don’t need to look serious that day, I usually reach for something more cheerful. Bright yellows and reds are too dandy for me, but the colors that usually work well for neckwear also do pretty good for canopies – British racing green, chocolate brown, and deep navy. If I do pick a black umbrella, it’s almost always the vintage Ralph Lauren with a leather wrapped handle – rarely the plain cherry wood that I thought would be a staple. 

Brooks Brothers, Barbour, and London Undercover sell reasonably nice umbrellas for about $50. For something better, however, be prepared to pay anywhere from three to twenty times the price, depending on the construction and materials. Swaine Adeney Brigg, for example, makes beautiful, silver nosed, Malacca wood umbrellas, but they cost more than what most men spend on sport coats (although, still a fraction of what Visvim is trying to charge for this thing). 

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End is probably the only online retailer that rivals Mr. Porter in scope and quality. Today, they start their end-of-season sale. Take 25% off across the board with the checkout code SALEPREVIEW. Some notables:

• Margiela’s German Army Trainers, including the white/ grey colorway. 
• Reimagined workwear from RRL, Engineered Garments, Needles, and Nigel Cabourn (the last of which made the coat you see above)
• Lots of knitwear – including Fair Isles from Jaimeson’s, cabled fisherman sweaters from Inverallan, textured knits from SNS Herning, and speckled Donegals from Howlin’ by Morrison
• Ten C, a new favorite outerwear brand for me
• Belstaff jackets, including the Roadmaster
• Field jackets from Aspesi
• Raincoats from Stutterheim, Nanamica, Elka, and Mackintosh
  
• Bags from Filson, Head Porter, South2 West8, Epperson Mountaineering, and Master Piece
• Retro-inspired running trainers from Spalwart and Nike
• Rugged boots from Oak Street Bootmakers, Red Wing, Yuketen, and Trickers
• Swim trumks from Orlebar Brown

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Men’s style had it rough in the 1970s. Sometimes referred to as the decade taste forgot, the ‘70s was characterized by tight shirts, bellbottom trousers, and the piles unrotting synthetics that will probably outlast this civilization. The clothes of that age, as well as the lifestyles, were as lurid as they were chaffing. 

Not everything was terrible, however. What decade is better defined by corduroy sport coats and shearing collar jackets? Or those puffer vests that eventually peaked in the ‘80s? For as many companies that made flashy, disco-inspired clothes, there were just as many that relied on simpler, rugged charms. 

One of those was Rocky Mountain Featherbed, which was founded in the Cowboy State of Wyoming by Francis “Cub” Schaefer. RMFB specialized in down-filled outerwear with Western-style yokes, which became popular with skiers and ranchers across the American West. These were worn during the days when Colorado ski instructors were still likely to be seen in cowboy hats. Unfortunately, after a decade of success, the company went bust in the ‘80s and Cub lost control of his label to bankers. 

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You know you’re into clothes when you pray for bad weather. After a four-year drought here in California, we’re finally getting some real rainfall this season. I had a chance to break out my Belstaff Roadmaster this past weekend, and was reminded of why I bought this thing in the first place. Built with a waxed cotton shell and a belt for easy closure, this jacket makes for a great casual raincoat – even if it was originally intended for tougher purposes. 

Belstaff’s Roadmaster is actually an adaptation of the company’s Trialmaster, which was originally introduced in the 1940s. The Trialmaster’s name comes from the Scottish Six Days Trial, a grueling event where competitors covered as much as 100 miles a day on road and off-road routes for six days. For those harsh weather and riding conditions, Belstaff built them a coat that would be windproof, waterproof, and resistant to tearing. Although it wasn’t the first jacket of its kind (Barbour’s International came out about ten years prior), it’s certainly become one of the most iconic. 

Traditionally, the main difference between the Roadmaster and Trialmaster has been the fit – with the Roadmaster being the slimmer of the two. This year, however, Belstaff has reintroduced the Trialmaster in a slimmer body and adjusted pocket design. Gone is the map pocket, and in is a new straight pocket with side zip-entry. They’ve also gotten rid of the belt for those who find it too fussy. Instead, an elasticized draw cord has been put at the waist in order to give the jacket shape. 

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Brooks Brothers is having a great one-day sale today on footwear. Take 40% off select models, with free standard shipping within the United States. 

There are some obvious exclusions, such as Edward Green and Red Wing, but much of Brooks Brothers’ house line is produced by top-end makers anyway. Crockett & Jones, for example, made these tie loafers and suede boots, while Alden manufactured these flex-sole bluchers, unlined chukkas, and tassel loafers. 

Some more affordable deals: Superga sneakers for $39 and SWIMS galoshes for $59. Also, Abbeyhorn shoehorns for about $35, although the discounts don’t seem to show up until you take the items to checkout.

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I’ve been busy with work deadlines, but I finally had a chance yesterday to pack up some old lengths of fabric that have been sitting in my closet and send them off to my tailor Steed. One is a dark brown Donegal with orange flecks; the other a large-scale glen plaid tweed that was designed by Michael over at The London Lounge, and modeled after something Gianni Agnelli was sometimes seen wearing. 

One of the joys of bespoke is being able to pick your own details, and even for a conservative dresser such as myself, there are a ton of options. The cut of the lapels (bellied or straight), shape of the fronts (cutaway or closed), and stitching techniques (swelled or picked) can mean everything in a jacket. 

For these two coats, I’m going off my usual order and getting a bit cheeky with the sleeve buttons. Roughly speaking, most English tailors, if left alone, would put four buttons on everything, while Neapolitans prefer four on business suits and three on anything casual. Sometimes those buttons touch (which would be called kissing); sometimes they overlap (which would be called waterfall). 

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The great thing about Black Friday these days is that you don’t have to push through crowds in order to score deals. Everything is online. Over at Put This On, I’ll have a roundup of about 150 sales today (I’ll also do a separate list for Cyber Monday). If you’re looking for a more condensed version, however, here are eight of my favorites, along with some notable items at each store. 

Mr. Porter: The sale that’s always on top of everyone’s list. Select items have been discounted by 30%, although sometimes the savings only show up on the last page of the checkout process (right before you submit your credit card information). The Cleverley chukkas and Rubinacci pocket square pictured above, for example, show up as full-price on the product page, but they get discounted once you take them to checkout. 

Pictured above: Rocky Mountain Featherbed jacket; Ralph Lauren Fair Isle sweater; George Cleverley chukkas; Rubinacci pocket square

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Backpacks have come a long way in the last hundred years. Granted, people have been carrying things on their backs forever, but it wasn’t until the arrival of companies such as Gerry Outdoors and Jansport did backpacks take the form they do today. Those early designs were made for the great outdoors – constructed from nylon shells and built with zippered compartments, they were later turned into everyday carries by hippies and students in the 1970s. Today, much like sneakers and jeans, backpacks have become fashion items. No longer just canvas school bags or techy outdoor gear, you can find a backpack style for almost any kind of causalwear that might be in your closet. 

Of course, none of these are usable with tailored clothing. Besides possibly ruining your jacket’s shoulder line, backpacks are much too informal – no matter how sleek the design. Still, for running errands or spending a few hours at a cafe in a pair of jeans and a bomber jacket? Backpacks can be just the thing. Here are five that I rely on. 

 

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I’m always amazed by how many French producers there are for high-end leather goods. There must be dozens of small firms and independent makers – plus the giant that is Hermes – for things such as bags, belts, and wallets. Of course, what exists today is just a fraction of what used to exist generations ago. For example, the small, sleepy town of Millau, located in the southwest of France, used to be considered the nation’s glove-making capital. At one point, the town has more than fifty glove-making firms, with hundreds of sewing machines rattling away. Today, there are about five. 

Still, the ones that remain are the best at what they do. Lavabre Cadet, for example, is a small workshop that was founded in 1946, just shortly after the war, by Pierre Lavabre (a young man at the time, and the son of a glove-making family). His company’s work was so good that, in the 1960s and ‘70s, Lavabre Cadet produced for the top-end lines of Chanel, Givenchy, and Dior. Yves Saint Laurent (the man, not the firm) also once called the company his glover of choice.

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