I’m convinced that most tie wearing men own too many ties, but at the same time, not enough striped ones. The advantage of striped rep ties is that they’re simple, unassailably in good taste, and wearable with almost anything - from smooth and silky suits to rough and tweedy sport coats. English foulards (which are those silk prints with small, repeating, geometric shapes) and paisley ancient madders, on the other hand, often look best with either one or the other, but not both. Which means if you’re building a necktie wardrobe, it’s better to start with a good foundation of striped rep ties and solid colored grenadines before you branch out to raw silks, boucles, or unusual prints.

It used to be that men could only own one striped necktie. The style originated in the early 20th century, when decommissioned British officers wanted to continue wearing their regimental colors after they returned to civilian life. Hence, we get the term “regimental silks” for how those colors denoted those officers’ service. After a while, the practice was taken up by men in exclusive clubs or colleges, such as the students of Trinity College wearing navy ties with white stripes, or members of the Hawks Club wearing red ties with yellow stripes. It was inconceivable that you could ever buy these ties in a store, as they were for members only, which is why men only had one style they could wear. 

Luckily, the social meaning of these ties has largely been lost, so men can own as many as they want. In the US, you can find them at J. Press, Ben Silver, Brooks Brothers and Paul Stuart. The first two make them in more appealing patterns, in my opinion, than the last two. On the upside, all four companies have tons of ties on eBay, and they often get overlooked, which means you can buy them for pennies on the dollar. 

My favorite maker, however, might be EG Cappelli - a small, Neapolitan house that uses new English silks, but in patterns that feel a bit more Old World. They have a number of ties, for example, in really muted colors, such as ones with chalky brown stripes set on a dull navy ground. These ties are softly constructed with a thin, wool interlining and lots of handwork, which makes tying them up feel a bit more pleasurable. If you can’t afford their bespoke service, which cost 80 Euros, then they have ready-made ties through their outlet store for 50 Euros and a small selection of designs at Gentlemen’s Footwear for $125. Free shipping is available at EG Cappelli when you buy five ties or more. 

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Some people try to improve their lives in really admirable ways - such as with every New Years, they make resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, or save money. One of my resolutions this year is to build a new pants wardrobe. It’s admittedly silly and trivial, but on the upside, since it requires no sacrifice or discipline on my part, I’m likely to actually meet it. 

The problem with off-the-rack pants, I find, is that even with a good cut, it can be hard to get the back to fit well. That’s because so much depends on how you stand. If you stand with your hips forward and knees locked – like an auditioning porn star, as my friend David put it – then your pants will crumple under the seat and ripple through the back of the leg. It’s a minor thing, but once you get obsessive about how clothes fit, it’s hard to not let these things bother you.

So earlier this year, I resolved to replace all my trousers through my tailor, and in doing so, I’ve had to think about what pants might be necessary in a good, basic wardrobe. Not to say this is what everyone needs, of course. Only me. But perhaps if you wear sport coats often, you’ll find some of these suggestions useful. 

First, there are your year-round cloths, which can start with chinos. I like darker shades of khaki over mid-shades, and find dark- to mid-shades of olive green to be very useful as well. On one of Steed’s visits here, I was able to flip through some Dugdale cotton swatches, which I thought were really good (below is a nice shade of navy in a subtle twill weave, which I’ve always preferred over plain-weaves or drills). Zegna and Brisbane Moss also have great cottons, and I’ve heard good things about Drapers. 

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The ‘90s seem to have come back, with Elle Italia doing a fashion spread on the decade and Hedi Slimane designing this year’s Saint Laurent Paris collections around grunge. While I admit to liking the rock revival, my mind has been drifting to more familiar territory. Namely, '90s Ralph Lauren.

Unfortunately, everything Ralph Lauren designed twenty years ago fits like a sail, which means it’s all unwearable unless you have a size 42 chest or larger. I did, however, recently manage to pick up this shirt, which is re-release of an Indian head chambray he made long ago. This time, however, the cut is much slimmer (a bit more like the “custom fit” shirts in his modern Polo label), so on really hot days, when the temperatures are too high for a jacket, I’ve been wearing it open with a white Barns t-shirt, Oak Street Bootmakers chukkas, and 3sixteen jeans. It’s probably my favorite casual shirt as of late, if only for nostalgic reasons. 

Many have commented on Ralph Lauren’s success in offering clothes at every price point - from $5,000 Italian-made jackets to $20 Chinese-made polos. Less recognized, I think, is his ability to use his brand as a sort of “incubator,” with lines rising and falling with the times. In the '90s for example, you had Ralph Lauren Country and Polo Sport, neither of which really survived past the decade (although Polo Sport somewhat continues as a generic “aqua-scented” cologne). Why Ralph Lauren Country was discontinued, and Polo Sport replaced with RLX, I’ll never understand, but it’s interesting to see that whenever one of his sub-labels closes, his umbrella brand and mainline Polo label remain untarnished. 

What I wouldn’t give though, to have some more re-releases. You can find some of these originals on eBay if you search around for the right terms (try “Ralph Lauren Polo Country” and “Ralph Lauren Sportsman”). If only the cuts were slimmer … 

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I’m not one for loud colors, but I have a soft spot for madras shirts in the summer. Madras is a lightweight, airy woven cotton, which typically comes in bold and beautiful patterns. The fabric takes its name from the Indian city where it originated, but it’s been long considered an American classic for its associations with Ivy Style. As the story goes, a fabric importer named William Jacobson went to India in the late 1950s to procure some fabrics, and subsequently sold about 10,000 yards of madras to Brooks Brothers. He neglected to mention, however, that the mill warned him the fabric would bleed in the wash, so Brooks had a problem when customers came back furious about how their new clothes ruined their laundry. Rather than recall the garments, Brooks spun around and marketed their stock of madras as that “miraculous handwoven fabric from India” that was “guaranteed to bleed.” Americans have been in love with the cloth ever since.

It’s hard to find actual bleeding madras these days, as everything is made to be colorfast. Friends of mine who do research in India tell me that bleeding madras is still available there, but the fabric is rarely made for export. The only exception I know is Atlantis Fabrics, but their stock of bleeding madras (at least that part which they’re willing to sell to the public) is limited, and the qualities are highly variable. On some stocks, for example, you can have whole sections of stripes missing on a check, or unusual stains of unknown origin. Plus, Atlantis seems to be harder and harder to work with these days. Years ago, I could buy fabrics from them at about $5 a yard, but nowadays, they have higher minimums, higher prices, and requirements for wire transfers (which add to the cost). The other source for good madras is Rosen & Chadick, but while their shirtings are of higher quality, I’ve never heard of them stocking anything that bleeds.

In any case, last week I received what I think might be my last batch of madras shirtings for a while. All three were bought from Atlantis as part of a group buy organized on StyleForum. None of these bleed, but they should still look good underneath cotton or linen sport coats. I plan on sending them to Ascot Chang to be made into shirts, and then wearing them with an open collar and a big smile.

To find ready-to-wear madras shirts, you can visit traditional shops such as O'Connell’s, J. Press, and Brooks Brothers. J. Crew and Ralph Lauren are also worth a look for slim fitting options. 

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Everyone wants the best, but what’s considered “best” is often very subjective. Here’s a pair of camp mocs, for example, from W.C. Russell Moccasin Company – a Wisconsin-based shoe firm that has been making moccasins and boots for outdoorsy folks since 1898. The color on these is a bit flat and the creasing a bit rough. And while Russell Moccasin usually makes shoes from full grain leather, these are made from top-grain, which is the bottom-half of a hide once it’s been split. The upside to top grain is that it doesn’t have any of the blemishes and scars that might be on full grain, but the downside is that it also doesn’t feel as rich and supple. And since the fibers in top grain aren’t as tightly intertwined, the leather can seem a bit airy. You can see Dave Muson of Saddleback Leathers explain it in this video.

Still, I love these mocs. The color has this perfect pitch of reddish brown, which somehow feels more classic and American to me than the usual dark browns and tans such shoes come in. The leather, while not as rich as my Quoddy and Oak Street Bootmaker mocs, also feels better suited for going out to a sports bar on a hot summer afternoon. And if provenance still means anything, I like that these are made by a 116 year-old heritage company with an utterly unpretentious website. Ordering from them feels like ordering from those mail-in catalogs in the ‘90s, where you’d send in a check or well-hidden cash along with a scribbled out form.

When I talked to Jeffery Diduch last year about suit quality, he compared the construction of suits to the making of food. That is – it’s hard to tell with any certainty how a suit has been made, but it’s easy to tell if you like it. And just like a dish, the only thing that’s important is your enjoyment. So for me, while I like my “nicer” camp mocs from Quoddy and Oak Street, these Russell Moccasins have been surprisingly getting more wear. If I think about it like food, sometimes you want a really nice grilled salmon, and sometimes you want a cheap burrito. Both can be enjoyable in their own right. In this way, these Russells are like the burrito of shoes. 

(Note, Russell Moccasin’s camp mocs can be ordered custom through Russell Moccasin themselves, but there is a wait time. If you want to go with a standard make, they can be had quicker through Sid Mashburn). 

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As it goes with fashion, everything old is new again. This time literally and figuratively, as I’ve come around to being less apprehensive about pre-distressed clothes. Pre-washed denim, for example, has a nice sky blue that’s difficult to achieve with raw denim, and the lighter color goes excellently with canvas sneakers in the summertime. I’ve also recently been wearing this heavily washed chambray shirt from Chimala. The problem with most chambrays is that they’re too much of a mid-blue, like this, which makes wearing them with jeans difficult. This chambray, on the other hand, goes great with jeans and a field jacket when the weather gets cold, and can be worn alone with a t-shirt and denim when the temperatures near 90, like they did yesterday.

Strangely, heavily washed chambray shirts don’t seem to be easy to find. There’s this Chimala (which is available at J. Crew and Unionmade), an RRL, and a slightly dressier version by Acne. If you’re willing to go a bit darker, however, a world of options opens up. Barney’s has an especially large range this season. There’s also this heavily washed denim shirt from The Jean Shop. It’s too thick to wear as anything but a shirt jacket, but it works well as one if you size down.

In the above, the boots are from Oak Street Bootmaker, the t-shirt from Barns, the jeans from 3sixteen, the wallet from Flat Head, the belt from Don’t Mourn Organize, and the field coat from Aspesi. The field coat is about five years old now, and is no longer available in Aspesi’s collections, but they make similar ones every season. APC also has a really nice field jacket with a detachable lining, and if money were no object, I like these by Visvim, The Real McCoys, and Ten C. For a budget friendly option, there's J. Crew’s Garrison

 is a great value. It’s a touch overpriced at full retail, but there’s rarely a week when J. Crew’s mainline isn’t put on sale in some way.  

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What happened to the Internet’s obsession with Alden? It was just a few years ago when you couldn’t get through a day’s worth of blog reading without coming across a post gushing about the New England shoe brand. Today, you rarely see the company’s name mentioned, and most people seem to have moved on to other things (obscure Japanese shoemakers and rare sneakers, mostly).

Meanwhile, I’ve been finding myself coming back to Alden. True, their lasts aren’t the sleekest and the shoes can look a bit clunky, but sometimes a heftier looking shoe is what’s needed to go with a pair of jeans or some tweed trousers. Plus, they have a distinct American sensibility that really appeals. 

In their permanent collection, some of my favorites include:

• The Leisure Handsewn: Possibly one of the best penny loafers on the market, Alden’s Leisure Handsewn (colloquially referred to as the LHS) is handsewn right on the last. My favorite versions are the shell cordovan makes, which include Horween’s color 8 (known as the 986), cigar shell (6717), black (987), and Ravello (67540). The color 8 and black models are offered in unlined constructions through Brooks Brothers. The upside to that version is that, once in a blue moon, Brooks Brothers will include it in their 25% off mid-season sales. 
• Flex welt shoes: Alden has a number of shoes built on their special flex welt outsoles, which is a thin, heavily oiled piece of leather that’s both water resistant and more comfortable out-the-box. I particularly like the chukkas in dark brown suede (known as the 1492), snuff suede (1493), and tan suede (1494). There’s also an unlined penny loafer in dark brown suede (6245F), snuff suede (6243F), and tan suede (6244F). Truthfully, I like the moc-toe style of Rancourt more in this case, but those won’t come with these slipper-like outsoles.
• Wingtips: Still one of the best gunboat-shaped lace-ups, Alden’s longwings go excellently with everything from classic flannel trousers to slim-fitting jeans. You can find these in the more rounded toe Barrie last or the more shapely Plaza. Materials include everything from calfskin (black, new dark tan, dark brown, and natural Chromexcel) to shell cordovan (color 8, cigar shell, and black). If you stop by some stores, they may also have a few discontinued materials on sale. Just ask for them specifically, as they’re typically not displayed on the shop’s floor.
• Boots: The Indy boot is Alden’s bestseller, but they can also be a bit ubiquitous (particularly if you frequent “hip” spots). For something more unique, I like their simple cap toe boots, such as the 4060 model (a color 8 shell cordovan built on their Grant last) and 39702 (a snuff suede boot built on the rounder Barrie). There are also some really nice Modified-lasted boots in this StyleForum thread.  

Finally, there are the hundreds of special makes Alden produces for stores around the world. Leffot, LeatherSoul, The Bureau Belfast, Need Supply, Winn Perry, Lakota House, and Unionmade are all good places to start.

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The poor and humble t-shirt – too often reviled by men in coats and ties, and too often relied on by men who don’t know their own coat size – is simultaneously the most under and overrated piece of clothing in history. Personally, I think a t-shirt can look quite good if it’s cut well and wearer is trim. Granted, it works best layered underneath a jacket, rather than worn alone, but what kind of shirt doesn’t?

For a long time now, I’ve bought mine from Hanes. Their Beefy T model is slim, stout, and unbeatably cheap. You can get them for about $5 directly from Hanes, or $2 at Sierra Trading Post (provided you have a DealFlyer coupon and wear a size 36 jacket). I also like The Flat Head’s plain white tees, which are made from a thicker fabric and have triple stitching at the collar. This makes them less likely to stretch out over time, which has always been my main complaint about Hanes, but at $110 apiece, I’ve found them to be a hard purchase to justify.

Recently, I found what’s now my new favorite source for t-shirts. Barns, a Japanese label, makes them in loopwheeled constructions and basic, solid colors. Loopwheeling, for those unfamiliar, is an old knitting process where a garment’s body is knitted to shape (like a tube), so there’s no need for side seams. Since the process is slow and there’s no mechanical tension, the resulting fabric gets all of its texture and softness form the naturally relaxed yarns.

You can see the effect when you look closely at the Barns t-shirt. Given the yarns they use, the fabric is tufted in some areas, and not in others. This gives it a natural heathering (even when the shirt is white), as well as slightly rougher, more “natural” hand feel. The difference between this and Hanes isn’t too different from the slubbiness retained in some lines of quality Japanese denim, and the overly smooth, highly processed stuff you’d find at The Gap (even when the denim is “raw” and selvedge).

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I’m often quietly rooting for Frank Clegg. I bought my first bag from him years ago, when he was doing Lotuff & Clegg with Joe Lotuff. The two have split up now, but in the short time they worked together, Frank designed and produced all of the products. The bag I bought from him was his “Classic English Briefcase,” which you can see in the first few photos below. It was originally sent to me on loan, so I could do a review of it at Put This On, but the bag was so impressive that I asked if I could purchase it outright. The public relations company at the time kindly agreed, and gave it to me at a small discount since the bag had been used as a media sample. 

Despite getting it in used condition, it’s held up beautifully for me. The pebbled grained leather doesn’t scratch easily, and it’s retained the same beautiful deep color as the day I got it. The construction still feels very solid with the brass buckles, rivets, and clips, and despite stuffing this full of heavy books for years and lugging things around for miles, none of the stitching shows any sign of failure. I’ve been so impressed with the briefcase, in fact, that I’ve since bought a couple more of Frank’s bags (at full price) to give as gifts.

I don’t think I really appreciated how well made Frank’s bags were until last month, however, when I stopped by a well-regarded leather goods store in my area. They’re known for making nice briefcases, but the stuff I saw was a huge disappointment. The leathers felt overly processed and almost synthetic, and the edges – which should be tightly sewn – were peeling back and away from each other. On one tote I picked up, you could see where the uneven application of glue had leaked out and dried along the edge. It’s surprising that these can sell for $1,000 when Frank’s bags cost about the same. 

I admit, there was a time when Frank started making for his own label that I feared he wouldn’t get the attention he deserves. He’s always struck me as a guy who’s better at making bags than online marketing campaigns. The last couple of years have been good to him though. He’s been picked up by LeatherSoul and The Armoury, some company made one of those “heritage-y promo videos” on him, and he just finished a collaboration with fashion designer Michael Bastian. He also recently hired the creative agency Knowuse to redesign his webstore, which I think looks a lot better now. Granted, this is little more than shining up the window display, but at least this time, the products inside are genuinely nice. 

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It feels strange to write about fall and winter knitwear in the middle of spring, but with some new Inis Meain models up on their webstore, it’s hard to not get excited. All of my sweaters from them have been exceptional. They’re remarkably soft, but hardly pill, and are so densely knitted that you never have to worry about them losing their shape. My oldest Inis Meain sweater is probably about six years old now. That’s not a terribly long time for a good garment, but with proper care, it looks just as good as the day I bought it.

Included in the new batch are some flecked “Donegal” sweaters that are made to resemble Irish tweeds. These were available for a brief season a few years ago, but were then replaced with a set of really expensive cashmere sweaters. The merino-cashmere blends are priced much more affordably, thankfully, and presumably have the thickness that such a design requires anyway. There are also some buttoned mock-neck Arans with handsome cabling designs, as well as a moss stitch Gansey sweater with a buttoned shoulder. I imagine the second might be useful for layering underneath a boring coat.

Perhaps most interesting is the mock neck cardigan you see above. I recently tried the navy zip cardigan that’s on sale at East Dane, but was disappointed to find that, when compared their buttoned cardigans, the tension in the zipper pulls the collar too far back.

No Man Walks Alone is apparently working on a new cardigan design with Inis Meain, and I’m told it will be made available later this year. Here’s to hoping it’s something like this model, but with a button closure.  

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