What the hell happened to spring? We’re a good two months into the season, with summer being exactly a month away, but it still feels like the last days of winter. I had a chance to break out a linen suit a few weeks ago, when the temperatures climbed into the mid-80s, but it’s been too cold to wear anything breathable since then. It’s almost like spring never came.

One option I’ve been relying on is a “faux tweed” sport coat I had made through Napoli Su Misura. The term “faux tweed” refers to how the fabric has the sort of district check you’d expect to see on a traditional tweed, but none of the prickly surface. Instead, it’s made from a smoother, worsted wool, making it something like a citified version of a country cloth. Indeed, some people don’t like faux tweeds because they feel like they’re neither fish nor fowl, but they’re also perfect for those days that feel the same. Spring can be an awkward time for tailored clothing, when you might want something to match the gloomy weather, but wearing a real tweed can feel wrong in May.

You can find faux tweeds in a number of books. Porter & Harding’s Glorious Twelfth and Hudderfield’s Worsted Alsport are two of the most popular. Voxsartoria, pictured below, is seen wearing something from the first, while StyleForum member Mafoofan, pictured above, is wearing something from the second. There’s also Harrison’s Moonbeam, which is made from a wool and angora blend. It has a plush, almost cashmere-like feel, and a bit more nap than the two aforementioned sources. No Man Walks Alone has a ready-to-wear Moonbeam sport coat available this season, which was made for them by Sartoria Formosa in Naples. 

Someone on StyleForum last month commented on how it seems everything has been discovered and there are no more new tailors or shoemakers, or even worthwhile ready-to-wear brands, to talk about. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Naples and London alone, there are plenty of young, independent artisans just starting their own firms. You just have to know where to look. 

Recently, a new bespoke shoemaker has emerged in the form of Nicholas Templeman, a former employee of John Lobb of St. James in London. Templeman worked at Lobb for about seven years – serving as the company’s fitter and lastmaker – before striking out on his own. His house style is classic and English, with construction techniques that closely follow West End traditions. That means the last making, lasting, and welting are all done by hand, with only the sewing of the uppers being executed by machine.

Brooks Brothers’ mid-season Friends & Family sale starts today. Take 25% off with the checkout code BBFNF25. Some of the best deals are in the footwear and sale sections, the second of which is where you can stack discounts (there’s some particularly good outerwear, such as this brown leather bomber). Also worth checking out are some of the Black Fleece shirts, which come down to $73 after discount. 

My suggestion for browsing the footwear selection: sort by highest price first. Anything above $300 is usually Brooks Brothers’ better-made models. They do have some nice Superga sneakers for cheap though, should you need something for summer. 

Also notable: Filson and JW Hulme luggage, as well as my favorite pair of shell cordovan shoes. The checkout code even applies to some Edward Green footwear. 

Believe it or not, the internet is over twenty years old, but despite that being more than a hundred in Internet Years, online clothing retailers have some of the worst product photography known to man. Models either look awkwardly stiff and uncomfortable (see SSENSE and Tres Bien) or they’re inexplicably made anonymous with their heads cropped off (see Mr. Porter and Barney’s). 

My favorite model is the one at Gentry, who has taken the craft of wearing clothes in front of a camera to a high-art. His poses are expressive, engaging, and mysterious – but in ways that go beyond the usual dead stares you see in fashion ads. No, he’s mysterious because you never really quite understand what’s going on. Is he gesturing at something, talking to the photographer, or doing the hokey pokey? Here are my favorites, along with some guesses on what he’s saying. 

Oki-Ni is having a nice little promotion at the moment, where you can take £30 off any order over £150 by using the checkout code 30OFF150. The code applies to Common Projects and Maison Margiela sneakers, including the two companies’ flagship models – the all white Achilles Lows and white/ grey German Army Trainers. If you’re looking for some versatile sneakers this summer, you could hardly do better than these two. 

With the promo code and VAT discounts, each pair comes to about $275. Note, to get the VAT discount, you have to email Oki-Ni after you order. They manually process those requests, but it’s always a smooth and easy process. I’ve ordered from them a bunch of times and have never had a problem.

For sizing, I’ve gone true-to-size on both models. Mr. Porter also has measurements, should you find those helpful. 

In my time writing for Put This On, I’ve received more emails about the jacket above than anything else I’ve posted. The image is from something I wrote two years ago about my typical weekend uniform – a leather jacket with beat-up jeans and a crisp white t-shirt. And although I named the companies that made everything in the picture, I admittedly left out the jacket because … well, I wanted to keep the company’s name off people’s eBay radars. You can get these jackets for an uncommonly good price sometimes (I bought the one above for $250).

Having purchased my third jacket from the company, however, I figured I might as well answer the question. The jacket is from Mandelli, an Italian outerwear company that has been around since the mid-1950s. Unfortunately, they’re not terribly easy to find in the US. Or even in Europe. In fact, the only time I’ve ever seen their jackets in a store was at De Corato, and they dropped the brand years ago. The quality of their outerwear, however, is exceptional and their styling is tastefully European. That makes their leathers easy to wear with tailored trousers and dress shirts (think: the kind of stuff you see in Loro Piana lookbooks). 

Since it’s hard to find Mandelli’s jackets, it’s also hard to find information about the company. From the three leathers I bought, however, and from the one stockist I spoke to, here’s what I’ve gathered: there are two mainlines – one simply called Enrico Mandelli and the other Mandelli Tailor’s – then a sub-line titled Mandelli Reloaded. The Reloaded line is targeted towards a younger demographic, which means it comes at a lower price point and is made in a slightly slimmer fit. The quality isn’t as nice as mainline stuff, although it’s still very good. The jacket you see above is from Reloaded, and the two dark brown ones below are from mainline. Mainline fits a bit fuller, but I’ve had mine successfully taken in by an alterations tailor.

In a recent NY Times article about how army jackets became part of civilian garb, Troy Patterson traces the popularity of the garment back to the youth revolts of the ‘60s and ‘70s. “Country Joe at Woodstock, John Lennon at Madison Square Garden, and Jane Fonda on the Free the Army road show all treated costume as commentary,” he wrote. “The counterculture kid in Army gear could razz the warmongering machine that had endowed the jacket with symbolic power, and he could honor boys destined to die in their boots, and he could also effectively affect a bohemian pose.” Combine this history with films such as Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, and Serpico – where army jackets were central to how the protagonists were portrayed  – and you have the makings of a classic piece of casualwear. 

I recently picked up an army jacket from Niche, which I’ve been wearing with Stevenson jeans, Chimala chambrays, Barns t-shirts, and Heschung boots. The open chambray shirt helps create a layered look, while things such as the mid-length wallet and silver jewelry serve as accessories. It’s an easy, no-fuss ensemble that I can throw on in the morning without doing the kind of shoe brushing or shirt ironing that comes with tailored clothing. 

There’s been a lot of excitement and speculation in the last few weeks, ever since Skoaktiebolaget announced that they’ll be bringing a new label into their store. Yesterday, they held a special event for the big reveal. Apparently, the new label will be … drum roll, please … Saint Crispin’s, the Eastern European maker of hand-welted, peg-waisted shoes. 

This is big news. Not just because we have another retailer for Saint Crispin’s, but because the exchange rate between the US Dollar and Swedish Krona is so good (well, for Americans anyway). At the moment, with VAT discounts, the starting price for Saint Crispin’s will be just north of $1,000. That’s a good $500-600 less than what you’d pay elsewhere (although, as always with ordering from abroad, some of those savings could be washed out by import taxes). 

The store currently carries nine in-stock models. There are some dandy options, such as the jade green austerity brogues, cloud grey wholecuts, and pair of “devil red” chukkas (those might require a bit of gusto to wear). Then there are some conservative pieces, such as these beautifully designed wingtips, finely shaped oxfords, and uniquely grained “Russian calf” split-toes (note, this is a printed calf, not the 200 year-old Russian leather that was recovered from a sunken brigantine). Since there’s no up-charge for basic custom orders, however, you can essentially order anything you want for the price of ready-to-wear. 

Ralph Lauren’s mid-season private sale starts today. Select items have been discounted by up to 30%, and you can knock off another 15% if you shop before April 30th (just use the checkout code PRIVATE15). Some notable items:

• Anoraks: A bit on the pricey side, but this navy anorak looks like it would make for good spring outerwear. A similar version is available in orange.
  
• Quilted Jackets: A bit more affordable at the quilted jackets. I like the M-65 version, although they also have something in a sport coat cut. 
• Polo RL Work Shirts: Some indigo work shirts in flannel and popover designs. I also like this simple washed chambray. 

• Bags: Lots of bags, including some in leather, nylon, and canvas. Personally, I like the vintage-hiking-inspired backpack best (I own the same one and use it all the time). 
  
• RRL Shirts: For a guy who has a blog called Die, Workwear, I’m unusually into Ralph Lauren’s workwear line. Included in this sale are lots of RRL work shirts, such as the dotted indigo Jack Rabbit, Kane western, and double faced Cody flannel. 
  

Note, in order to see the discounted prices, you have to go through Ralph Lauren’s private sale link.