Now Available: Lost Monarch Eyewear Briefcases

lost monarch eyewear briefcase

I’ve been writing about eyewear quite a bit this year. And as I mentioned recently, I’ve noticed that more men seem to be approaching spectacles as a collector’s item rather than a purely functional product. While I might not be quite at that level (…yet), I definitely know that managing a pile of glasses in random cases is a bit unwieldily. The best solution that I’ve come up with is now available at Lost Monarch—an eyewear briefcase. […]

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Actually, This Is My First Rodeo

I’m spending the week in small-town Montana, located a couple hours from the comparatively buzzing metropolises of Bozeman and Missoula. Though the total population may be less than the city block that I currently live on, the town takes the Labor Day rodeo and festivities very seriously. I’m sure I’ll stick out like the Californian […]

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Running with the Wolf Pack: a Guide to Jacques Marie Mage Eyewear

jacques marie mage eyewear guide

I’ve been writing about menswear for over ten years now, and it’s not often that a new brand attracts seemingly unanimous interest in the fashion space. We’ve seen lots of niche brands become darlings of certain groups with similar interests, but universal enthusiasm isn’t that common. Jacques Marie Mage seems to be one of these brands, though, as everyone from movie stars and pro athletes to prep enthusiasts and watch nerds is watching them with great interest. […]

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Product Review: Moscot “Dahven” Sunglasses

moscot dahven review

When I start to think about a new menswear purchase I tend to spend a lot of time planning, pondering, and researching. This surely comes as no surprise, given that I have been having most of those thoughts out loud on this website for over eleven (!) years. But eyewear is hard to plan like that – sometimes you put a pair on your face and immediately realize that this is now your look. There is a bit of serendipity to the process that can’t be analyzed or scrutinized, and that was the exactly case with the Moscot Dahven. […]

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Two Suede Jackets

rrl double rl valstar suede jacket

Menswear guys like myself will utilize a considerable amount of mental gymnastics to justify our purchases. Most of it revolves around using quality and versatility as a rationalization for dropping a bunch of cash – it will last forever! You can wear it with anything! Just think of how low the cost-per-wear will be! But at some point, when the closet is already fit to burst, this logic breaks down and you simply have to admit the obvious: I want to buy this because I like it. […]

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A Sartorial Guide to Santa Fe

santa fe shopping guide vintage modern

Santa Fe, New Mexico is a crossroads of cultures – an amalgamation of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Old West history that spans thousands of years. It’s a town known for this rich background as well as the art and lifestyle that stem from it, but it’s also a destination for something else – shopping. Everything from tiny pop-up booths to international brands have opened up shop in Santa Fe to capitalize on the demand for products born of this cross-pollination of cultures. […]

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Todd Snyder Comes to California

todd snyder san francisco los angeles

The middle of the market is a tough place to be in retail.  There will always be an appetite for the cheapest product possible, and the luxury consumer will remain loyal to their favorites. But brands and retailers that attempt to offer something that’s both good and accessible often end up getting squeezed. We’ve seen this story many times – J. Crew’s chapter 11, Rugby Ralph Lauren being taken from us too soon, Brooks Brothers’ 200-year legacy ending in bankruptcy – the world of menswear has exploded in the past fifteen years, but with even with this growth many mid-market retailers have struggled to survive. However, there is one brand that seems to be flourishing in this challenging space – Todd Snyder. And as luck would have it, they just opened up two new stores on the West Coast. […]

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The Joys of Wool Socks

wool sock chup overview

“Do you wear wool socks?” my doctor asked me skeptically. After briefly reflecting on the question I had to admit that I, a self-proclaimed expert in men’s attire, wore cheap cotton socks basically every day despite any variations in the weather. “Well, you need to start wearing them. They’ll keep you warmer and wick moisture better.” I already knew these properties of wool, of course, but hadn’t really applied them to my own feet. He began to list off some options for wool socks but I had already stopped listening, and was making a mental shopping list of how I was going to elevate my sock game – per my doctor’s orders. […]

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