After seeing him on Hodinkee a few weeks ago, I knew that I would never have John Goldberger’s watch collection, charming accent, or swept back hair. I thought, however, that I could at least get something that looked like his shirt. That denim shirt, layered underneath a hard-finished tweed and paired with some tan chinos, seems like it makes for a great, casual look. With all the workwear and Americana revival these days, what could be easier to find?

Apparently, a lot. Part of the problem is that companies use the term denim and chambray interchangeably, which makes finding an actual denim shirt difficult. The two, however, are distinct. Chambray is a plain weave fabric, sort of like broadcloth or poplin. Here, each warp thread passes over each weft thread – over and under, over and under. Denim, on the other hand, is a twill, where each warp thread crosses over multiple weft threads before going under another set of weft threads. This creates diagonal lines in the grain of the fabric, which you can see in your jeans.

Chambray is nice, but I want the real thing. A rugged denim shirt that will hold its own against a tweed in a way that other shirtings can’t. 

The usual source for these things is RRL. They have some nice Western denim shirts at the moment, but they’re too … Western for me. Blue in Green also has this one by Eternal, but it looks too artificially faded. Club Monaco has a linen shirt that looks good, but it’s not indeed denim (although, I like that those puckered seams give it less of a “dress shirt” look).

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The appeal of soft Italian tailoring has set style trends in men’s clothing for at least a few decades now. Although the technique is commonly attributed to Giorgio Armani (particularly in the business press), it really goes back to the Rubinacci and Caraceni families in Naples and Rome, respectively. They’re the ones who took the “stuffing out of suits” by using thinner and lighter shoulder pads, reducing the weight of the canvassing and haircloth inside, and striping away the lining.

In popular writing, this technique often gets reduced to a simple description about a “soft shoulder,” but when I think of what makes this style appealing to me, it’s about much more than a shoulder line. Instead, I think of style icons such as Gianni Agnelli (who often wore Caraceni) and Vittorio de Sica (who often wore Rubinacci), as well as the many men who represent Neapolitan style today (Rubinacci, Solito, Ciardi, Panico, etc). The styles worn and created by these men isn’t just about their softer shoulder, but rather the overall “roundness” of their silhouettes.

Look at the photos below and see. The lapels are a bit wider; the chests a bit rounder and fuller; and while Voxsartoria will chastise me for saying this, a few of them look like they were designed with slightly wider shoulders as well. To my eye, this not only helps build a broader, more masculine look, but it also gives the illusion of a trimmer waist without actually needing to pinch it in. It’s this wider lapel, rounder chest, and soft, extended shoulder line that gives the casual, relaxed look that so many men love. Compare this to a number of other “soft” Italian jackets – especially the more fashion forward ones with a trimmer lapel, cleaner chest, and narrower shoulder – and you can see the effect isn’t the same.

I don’t mean to say that “clean and lean” silhouettes look bad, of course. My first love for suits – well before Man Men came around – was for the 1960s styles seen on Sammy Davis Jr. here. Very modern; very clean; and very, very smooth.

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I was disappointed two years ago to learn that my friend Stephen would no longer continue his site The Simply Refined. His blog was always one of my favorites. Focused on classic clothing (often of the tailored variety), it was informative without being overly stuffy. On the upside, he left it to start a new job as the associate editor of Hodinkee, which means for the past two years, I’ve had someone to bother every time I’ve had a question about watches.

Most of my questions regard watches I think I can wear with casual clothing, as my current 1968 Rolex Oyster is something I only wear with a coat and tie. My first instinct was to get a pilot watch, perhaps something from Stowa or Laco, but after seeing some vintage pieces at Hodinkee, I wanted something with a bit more provenance. So, Stephen and I talked about the possibility of me buying a CWC, a company that makes relatively inexpensive watches for military use. A vintage chronograph like this, for example, goes for about $1,000 to $2,000, and since they weren’t available to civilians, that means each piece was actually worn by a pilot at some point. They also come in 38/ 39mm, which is a great for a guy like me, who has small wrists. 

Slightly larger is the 40mm Sinn 103, a German chronograph that’s still being made today, but you can find vintage pieces from the 1970s and ‘80s. A bit larger still is the Heuer Bundeswehr, a 42mm flyback chronograph made for the West German forces in the 1970s. Given the exceptional movements and price tag ($3,000 to $4,000), Hodinkee described it as being one of the most underpriced vintage watches on the market. For a while, this Heuer was my top contender. 

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I was hanging out at Kinokuniya in San Francisco over the weekend, flipping through some magazines, and was pleasantly surprised to see Bruce Boyer featured in the March 2014 issue of Free & Easy. Bruce has always been one of my favorite menswear writers. He’s uniquely erudite and eloquent, and can write about men’s clothing in a way that’s substantive and thoughtful, but also not overly rigid or dogmatic. If you haven’t already, check out his books Eminently Suitable and Elegance. His essays at Cigar Aficionado are also must-reads.

The Free & Easy feature takes us through some of Bruce’s things. There’s an old Coach messenger bag from back when they used to manufacture in the United States, a Willis & Geiger watch set on a brown alligator strap, and a pair of Russell Moccasin's fishing oxfords. Among what I’m sure are his many tailored jackets, Bruce has a tried and true navy sport coat, a brown checked faux tweed, and a solid green (possibly Shetland?) tweed jacket. For casual wear, there’s a green patch pocketed shirt jacket with a unique lapel by Paul Stuart. It looks rather similar to the Justo Gimeno Teba jackets sold at The Armoury.

There’s also a great shot of Bruce’s shoe collection. I’ve always been under the impression that he wears nothing but suede, but a little over half of his shoe wardrobe is comprised of calf. Much like me, Bruce seems to favor slightly more casual looking pieces. Most of his shoes are bluchers or slip-ons, and of the few oxfords he has, many are made from casual materials. There’s also a pair of George Cleverley tassel loafers that look like the most elegant shoes ever. Handsomely styled and shaped, they seem infinitely better than the tassel loafers I own from Crockett & Jones and Allen Edmonds.

The best things in the feature aren’t about what’s in Bruce’s closet, however. They’re the photos of Bruce himself and his home. Bruce tells me he lives in a historic district of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where the houses on his block date back to the 1740s. His house is one of the “newer” ones, having been built sometime around the Civil War. The home itself looks lovely. On that leather armchair, where a big checked throw is draped, is exactly where I’d like to listen to some of Bruce’s blues records and read his copy of Our Age by Noel Annan. 

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Inspired by a post I saw at Breathnaigh, I recently bought a Needles Rebuild jacket. It’s easily the oddest piece of clothing I own, and I say that as a guy who walks around town in a motorcycle jacket. For those unfamiliar, Needles is one of the brands under Nepenthes – a Japanese company that operates as both a retailer and parent company to a number of labels. In addition to Needles, they have Engineered Garments, South2 West8, and Sonic Labs. The company’s founder and director, Keizo Shimizu, designs Needles and Sonic Labs.

The Needles line feels very eccentric and bohemian. It includes this “Rebuild” collection, where individual pieces of clothing (often vintage) are deconstructed and used to “rebuild” new garments. Given the construction and designs, each piece is totally unique, even if the sensibilities across models and makes are the same. Take this BDU field jacket, for example. There are snap button pockets (presumably from the cargo pockets of BDU pants) on the interior side of the left lapel. One is so strangely placed that it’s in the middle of where the lapel folds over, which causes the lapel to sit strangely. Snap button pockets have also been used to reinforce the elbows, and there’s one pocket – upside down, even – placed right next to the patch hip pocket. Should you unbutton it, a ribbon previously used to cinch the waist on a pair of pants will unravel and fall out, reminding you that you’re in the Willy Wonka world of field jacket designs. 

I’m told by Pete (of Breathnaigh) that these pieces never really go on sale, and that their prices just keep on rising. It might be a moot point since, as I mentioned, every piece is unique. When I contacted The Bureau Belfast about their stock, they showed me the photos of the three mediums in this jacket they had left, and none really looked the same. I decided to just buy the one I liked most.

The Needles Rebuild collection has other pieces like this. There’s this flannel shirt, for example, which has been constructed from frayed, mismatched strips of shirting. There are also a couple of Led Zeppelin t-shirts made in the same way. Neither are things I think I can pull off well, but they do look cool. This BDU jacket though? I’ve been wearing it with 3sixteen jeans, a Buzz Rickson sweatshirt, and some Red Wing 9030 workboots. For the most part, it just looks like a rumpled field jacket until you look closer. It’s only then that you notice this is an odd jacket.

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Christian at Ivy Style once called me a clotheshorse. If you know Christian at all, you know that’s not a compliment. He’s one of the few bloggers I know (if not the only one) who has a healthy relationship with clothes. He likes them, but doesn’t obsess over them. In any case, what prompted it was me asking him last spring what he thought of some brand’s sweaters. He said “You’re one serious clotheshorse if you’re already thinking about fall!”

And it’s true, I tend to think about clothing purchases way in advance. Lately, for example, I’ve been thinking about green tweed sport coats. The London Lounge is selling a new barleycorn and herringbone mix through their cloth club. It’s a beautiful design with a blue and chestnut brown windowpane, but I’m not yet sure of what’s out there, so I’ve been unable to commit. Flipping through A Style is Born and Scottish Estate Tweeds gave me some ideas, however. As did going through some photos I’ve downloaded throughout the years. All are included below. 

My intuition is that lighter, more olive-ish shades of green are easier to wear than anything too true. Lest one wants to look like they’ve recently won the Masters Tournament anyway. But the photo of Gianluca Migliarotti (director of O'Mast and I Colori Di Antonio) proves otherwise. I think it may be more about the cut than the color. With a well-cut, soft shouldered jacket, a green sport coat seems like it could go excellently with a pair of a khaki chinos, grey flannels, and tan cavalry twills. Something to also wear with a light blue or country tattersall shirt, and perhaps some brown suede wingtips. 

So far, my two favorites include the photo of the Kylnadrochit estate tweed at the very end of this post, and the one seen on Michael Alden in his video on how to wear a pocket square. Those pitch perfect shades of olive, with the subtle and tasteful checks, look like they’d make for a great autumnal sport coat. Especially for a guy who thinks about such things in spring. 

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I do most of my writing these days from a café near my apartment. It’s spacious, has lots of sunlight, and most importantly, plays good music at a volume that’s not too loud. The only problem is that, to get there, I have to walk down this small street where a bunch of bikers hang out. Real bikers too – guys and gals in unfashionable jeans and black leather jackets with club patches on the back. At any given moment, a few of them will be looking at someone’s bike, while others will be sitting on benches, seemingly shooting the breeze and observing passersby.

This is all well and fine except for when I wear this. On those days, I walk out of my apartment feeling like a bad ass, strut proudly to the café, and just as I near this group, I hang my head in shame, shuffle my feet, and silently pray “please Mr. Motorcycle Man, don’t ask me what kind of bike I ride.” Then, as soon as I round the corner, my chest puffs up again and I go back to strutting. To the rest of the world, I imagine I look like some kind of Marlon Brando. To these bikers, I’m sure I come off as a strangely shy guy with oddly pristine looking clothes. 

Nevertheless, this has become a weekend favorite. The brown cowhide café racer is from last season’s RRL. The zippers are gold colored and the band collar stands up higher than most. I think the details give the jacket a lot of panache. RRL is selling the same model this season, actually, but in a lighter brown. I’ve been debating whether or not to get it, just because I love this one so much. 

The jeans are 3sixteen SL-100x, the t-shirt is a plain old Hanes Beefy-T, and the boots are Mister Freedom’s Road Champs. The Road Champs might  be the best casual shoes I’ve bought in a while. The toe box is unconstructed, which gives it a nice low profile, and the leather is said to be “painted” brown. That means the flesh side is natural, but the skin side is treated to three coatings – dark brown, chocolate, and olive – which should allow the boots to develop a beautifully rich and complex patina over time. Christophe Loiron, designer and owner of Mister Freedom, once showed what his Road Champs looked like after two years worth of wear. Mine don’t look anywhere near as great, but to my defense, they’ve only just broken in. They actually use to be really stiff and painful, but after two dozen wears, they’ve become quite comfortable. 

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They say you can tell how serious a person is about running by how much they’ve spent on their gear. And it’s true. I’ve spent a lot, and I’m terrible at running. My New Year’s resolution was to get a four-mile run in every other day. I was good on that for a while until I slipped into my usual once or twice a week routine.

When I do go running, I’ve been getting a lot of use out of these Nike x Undercover pieces I bought last season. As expensive as they were, they actually have a number of useful details. The jacket, for example, has Dri-Fit panels under the arms and sleeves, which help me stay dry and cool (cause you know how strenuous a four-mile run can get), and a frog-mouthed chest pocket that’s just big enough to hold my keys (so they don’t jingle when I run that strenuous four-miles). The pants have perfect inseam for me, but are adjustable with a cinch cord around the leg opening. There are also some small pockets at the back, made again to hold keys, in case you want to wear them with some other jacket.

Speaking of other jackets, I really want one of Nike’s “Flash” jackets, which give full-body reflections at night whenever cars approach you. You can see some of the jackets in action in this video and this video. Sadly, the current model is too big for me. Ovadia & Sons released something similar this season, and it probably fits trimmer, but I’m not prepared to spend $700 on a running jacket. I’m already as out of shape as I’d ever want to be.

As for the shoes, I’ve been using Nike’s Flyknits in Grey Wolf and a custom pair of Shield Lunarglides I made through Nike’s ID program. The Shield Lunarglides help reflect a bit of light at night, and despite all the streetwear hype around Flyknits, I’ll have to admit – they look awesome, are lightweight, and are easily the most comfortable shoes I own. Even if you just need something for long city walks, these seem like they’d be useful.

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If you’ve ever caught yourself admiring a leather motorcycle jacket, you’ll love these photos. These were taken from Rin Tanaka’s book Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design. Tuesday had a post about the “Pre-Dawn” and “Sport Jacket” eras. Today’s is about “The Golden Age” of motorcycle jacket design.

The Golden Age is short - starting just after the war in 1945 and ending in the mid-1950s. Jackets in this period were characterized by a “W” collar, bi-swing or full-swing back, and a kidney panel “action back” with belt loops. Details that we only saw glimpses of in the Pre-Dawn and Sport Jacket eras became staples in this period. The fronts were always closed with zippers (usually Talon or Conmar, although Crown’s were the best). Sleeves were also zippered, epaulets were usually present (some decorated with spot work), and holster-shaped double pockets on the front were a common feature. And where most leather jackets before were brown, we see the emergence of the black leather jacket in The Golden Age. This is essentially the period that defined what we think of as the “quintessential motorcycle jacket”- a kind of design that was immortalized by Marlon Brando’s performance in The Wild One. 

Tanaka’s chapter on The Golden Age is organized by manufacturer, and it starts, rightfully, with Harley Davidson. One of their best jackets between the early to late 1940s was this model called the “Cycle Champ. You can see iterations of it here (note, these are all horsehide). 

 

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Fueling my growing interest in leather jackets, I recently picked up a copy of Rin Tanaka’s Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design. Rin Tanaka, as I’m sure everyone knows, is the man behind the book series My Freedamn! and the vintage show Inspiration LA. He’s a giant figure in the vintage Americana scene - the kind of stuff related to early rock-and-roll, surf, rockabilly, workwear, and hot rod subcultures. 

The writing in Motorcycle Jackets often a bit awkward, but is otherwise chock full of great information. There’s a very short introduction (only a couple of pages long) before the book jumps into the different periods of motorcycle jacket design. I thought I’d throw up some images from my three favorite sections - the “Before Dawn” and “Sport Jacket” eras today, and then “The Golden Age of Motorcycle Jackets” later this week. 

There weren’t any real “motorcycle jackets” in the early 20th century, as there weren’t that many men who actually rode motorcycles. Those that did often wore a coat and tie (surprisingly), although some would have leather jackets custom made for them. Since no designs were specially made for motorcycle riding at the time, custom clothiers relied on sport coats or military garments for inspiration.

The earliest jackets - worn in the 1910s and 1920s - mostly took their cues from the A-1 flight jacket. There was a simple buttoned front, two-pockets at the hips, and fold-down rounded collar. Like flight jackets, these were often made from horsehide or goatskin. You can see some examples here. 

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