From the weekend - laundry day.
In Person: Khaki’s of Carmel Oxford Shirt
During my last visit to Carmel, Jim Ockert was kind enough to give me two items from his quickly expanding private label to test run and review. The first was this oxford cloth button down collar shirt from one of his shirting lines. It is from his more casual and youthful line, which includes these washed oxford cloth shirts in a rainbow of colors. Before trying it on I was slightly hesitant; I have become spoiled with made-to-measure shirts and rarely wear alpha sized (S/M/L) shirts anymore as they often don’t fit my thin build and long arms well. This shirt was marked as a size small but Jim assured me that it was a very wearable and comfortable fit. He was right.
The shirt is made of a light “spring-weight” oxford cloth from Japan that is surprisingly smooth and more visually interesting than most oxford cloths I’ve come across. This line of shirts is also garment washed so that the fabric is already exceptionally soft and is done shrinking. It is manufactured in New England by the well-known (and aptly named) New England Shirt Company. The garment is well constructed and has many of the standard signs of high quality - split yoke, single needle stitching, and luxurious fabric.
The collar is a very soft, lightly-lined, unfused button-down; at 2.75” it is slightly shorter than the classic Brooks Brothers collar. For this reason it will not have a “roll” that is so heavily pronounced. This is not a major concern for me but may be a dealbreaker for a select few. It looks great with a knit tie but I generally wear it without.
At the end of the day, though, the fit is the most important. Fortunately, this shirt fits much better than any other alpha-sized garment I own. Of course, that won’t be the case for everyone but it is certainly true for me. To me, the fit is reminiscent of GANT Rugger’s “Hugger” fit - slim (but not skinny) through the sides, slightly shorter but still tuck-in-able body length, and trim sleeves. Unlike the Hugger fit, though, this shirt does not have an absurdly small yoke that creates tightness in the shoulders. It is exceptionally comfortable but still slim enough to be flattering.
Of course, the shirt is not cheap, given the high-end fabric and American construction. However, the price point puts it right in the range of brands like GANT and gives a much higher level of construction and material quality while still offering a youthful cut and a broken in look. Those that are looking for a more traditional office shirt may want to look at Khakis’ other shirting line, which offers high-quality neck-and-sleeve shirts in traditional fabrics and styles. However, if you’re already spending $100 or more on dress shirts and are looking for a great casual option that is also high-quality, I can’t think of anything better than these. It fits me better than most of my MTM shirts and the fabric is wonderful. I’ve worn it every week for the past month and I’m considering getting another.
Hopefully Jim’s private line will join his online store soon, but in the meantime these are available in several colors at the Khaki’s of Carmel store. If you’d really like to learn more but don’t live in the Bay Area then give Jim’s store a call and he can take care of you.
Out And About: a chat with Gustin Denim
If you’ve been paying any attention to new developments in the men’s clothing industry then you’ve probably heard mention of Gustin - the kickstarter success story that shocked everyone when they introduced high-end denim at a pricepoint that seemed revolutionary (until they told us that it’s what we should’ve been paying all along).
For those that are not familiar, Gustin is run by two Bay Area men (Josh and Stephen) that have been producing and selling their denim at boutiques across the country for the past few years. Each pair is made in San Francisco out of high-quality selvage denim from top notch mills. Earlier this year they abandoned the retail game and began crowd-sourcing their products at the wholesale price. What has resulted is a wonderful rainbow of high-quality selvage denim for the price of a pair of Levi’s.
I recently stopped by the Gustin headquarters to say hello and talk shop with Josh and Stephen. In this instance, I use the term “headquarters” loosely; in typical startup form they’ve set up shop in a friend’s living room and run their operation with a few laptops and iphone cameras. Nonetheless, the two keep a close eye on every pair of jeans leaving in the mail and are always looking for new and exciting fabrics for their limited-run jeans. Moreover, business seems to be going quite well - the team doubled in size this week when they brought on two more employees.
During my visit I made a point to stop by their production facility, which is just a stone’s throw from their living room HQ. Watching the creation of a high-quality product is fascinating to me; I got to see the cutting and sewing process, which occurs - quite literally - right next to some of the biggest names in high-end denim. I also learned more about some of the subtle construction details that make Gustin’s denim top-notch. For instance, the belt loops are sewn on before (under) the waistband, which increases their durability and keeps them from pulling off. The pockets are also half-lined, which makes accessing the contents easier. I also got to feel many samples of past and upcoming runs - from super-soft to super-heavy to super-green, all carry something interesting along with them that makes them unique.
Although Gustin has introduced a heavily tapered fit for those that are in to it, their bread and butter continues to be their original straight fit, which is slim through the seat and thigh and is a constant width from the knee down. I left their HQ with a simple pair of Cone Mill 13.5 oz. in their straight fit and will talk more about it once I get the opportunity to break them in. However, it should be noted that they have been experimenting with other items that are just as impressively priced - in recent weeks there have been natural leather wallets for $20 and belts for $50, with more on the the way. For instance, while in the factory I saw some lovely Japanese selvage chambray cloth that might become a button-down shirt in the near future - stay tuned.
In the end, what’s most exciting to me is that Gustin is taking boutique denim and turning it back into what it used to be - a clothing of the people. At $81-$99, most of us can afford to treat this denim however we want, whether it’s with a myriad of rules, mysticism, and ritualistic non-washing or just a pair of jeans that works hard and gets thrown in the wash every week. No matter how you decide to treat them, I imagine that they will hold up well and look all the better for it.
Dress like you know what you’re doing.
Some people say “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, but I think it can be expanded to activities outside of the office as well.
Over the past few months I’ve been strengthening my resume as a professional “party attender;” with a stretch of luck I’ve had the good fortune of filling empty seats at a couple of upscale parties and $500/plate fundraisers. One of my new favorite pastimes during these events is heading over to the lobby piano while in a nice professional outfit and sitting down as if I’ve been hired to play. I’m surprised at how long they let me go before realizing that I probably wasn’t supposed to play jazz standards at the black tie gala being held in the rotunda. Security usually figures it out somewhere between “Stella By Starlight” and the third chorus of “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”
A nice suit, a few classic tunes, and a healthy dash of confidence can go a long way.
Above: The Steinway in the lobby of the Palace Hotel.
It’s On Sale: Saphir shine kit
Shoe products are of those necessities that are rarely on sale and can add up in cost quickly. Fortunately, Wingtip is having a flash sale today, and one of the products available is a starter shine kit from Saphir. It’s down to $33 from $110 and contains 5 polishes and two polishing cloths. Saphir polish is great stuff and this will make a wonderful backbone to any shoe care kit. Note that this package does not include Renovateur or any of the creme polishes (both of which I use more often than the high-gloss wax). However, I do believe that Wingtip carries them and you could use them to get over the $50 free shipping minimum.
A new player in the menswear game: RPMWEST
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like we’re in the middle of a very exciting time period for menswear. Small companies like Kent Wang, Sam Hober, Howard Yount and Vanda are creating quite a stir with wonderful products at great prices. Website-driven companies like Ratio, Proper Cloth, and Ledbury are changing the way we think about shirts, and now we’re seeing folks like Beckett and Robb and Proper Suit push the limits of what made-to-measure can be. Other companies like Warby Parker and Gustin also are helping bring high quality products down to very accessible levels.
On that note, I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Manuel Rappard, founder of a company called RPMWEST. Like many San Franciscans, Manuel worked in the tech field for a number of years; however, his interest in clothing eventually led him leave his job at Google and try to create something different. Of course, “different” is getting more and more difficult to achieve in the menswear market but I found his business model intriguing.
RPMWEST is taking a concept we’ve seen before but applying it to something new: raw selvage denim. They’re using what could be referred to as the “Warby Parker” approach and sending each customer three different pairs of denim to try on, and offering free returns on all the pairs that don’t fit perfectly. This sounds very compelling to me as raw denim is something that is notoriously difficult to size correctly, especially when buying online.
The home try-on idea is interesting, but what really got my attention is that, similar to Gustin, they are offering high-end raw selvage denim (in this case, 13 oz. red selvage denim from a well-known Japanese mill) at an attractive pricepoint of $95. The jeans are produced in the fair city of San Francisco. There are currently two fits that look to fit comfortably into the “slim-straight” and “tapered” categories. The styling looks to be minimal and subdued, which is generally considered as a major plus.
Their kickstarter campaign begins today and if the company reaches their goal of $50,000 then they will be able to implement their home try-on program. I should make it clear that I am not yet a backer of their kickstarter and I have no firsthand experience with the product. Nonetheless, it does seem to be an attractive concept and I’m excited to see where it goes.
Cable Car Clothiers, still handsome after 75 years.
I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and seeing some new faces at the Styleforum event last night, held at the iconic Cable Car Clothiers in San Francisco.
It was a beautifully warm day in the City yesterday, and everyone was donning their finest cotton, linen, and seersucker clothes. After all, this is San Francisco - a few more weeks and it’ll probably be cool and wet again.
Thanks to Jon (bottom picture) and company at Cable Car for hosting a wonderful event and opening up their store to a bunch of sweaty and hungry #menswear nerds. It’s a beautiful store and I highly recommend stopping by to peruse their selection of traditional men’s clothing and accessories (or get a trim and a shave from Nicky).
One Year Later: Allen Edmonds McAllister Wingtip
As I’ve mentioned before, men’s clothing enthusiasts often tout the importance of buying high-quality products, an ideal that I generally agree with. Of course, few of us have the funds to buy the best of the best of everything, so the process of finding and purchasing clothing and accessories becomes more of a decision of when to save and when to splurge. Even then, cost does not inherently imply quality, so determining where money is well spent can be difficult. This is a series of posts that show some of my purchases (both expensive and affordable) after a year or more of hard wear in order to display how they have held up over time. Only you can decide what is worth spending on and what isn’t, but the more information you have the better-informed your decision will be.
Although I always liked the idea of dressing well, I didn’t get into it seriously until graduate school. Being at that place in my life made me see that my days as a college student were numbered and that my future career was closing in (if I was lucky enough to get a job). For that reason I wanted to prepare ahead of time in order to get the most out of the small amount of money I had. As engineers - and Jesse Thorn - often say, “Fast, Cheap, Good: Pick Two.” I started hunting for deals on basic and versatile items like khakis and shirts so that I wouldn’t be blindsided at my first job. I made some foolish purchases, but overall it was a lifesaver when I began working and already had a small amount of solid items to turn to.
I digress. These shoes were one of my first purchases in preparation for my career. I bought them in like-new condition off of ebay before secondhand shoes started to get more expensive. I was the only bidder - they were about sixty bucks.
Now that my shoe collection has slowly expanded I don’t need to rely on them as heavily as I did a year or two ago, but they still get used around once per week. I worked them hard and cared for them gently, and they have stood up to everything well. Their color has become richer and more variegated over time and they have remained some of my most comfortable and best-fitting shoes. I could go on about the respectable quality and durability of Allen Edmonds shoes, but I wouldn’t be saying anything that hasn’t been said many times before. Instead, I’ll tell you an interesting story.
After a few months of wearing these shoes I noticed that the rubber on one of the heels started to detach and flap around. This surprised me a bit since I had received the shoes in new condition and had been caring for them properly. Not sure if the issue was inconsequential or a harbinger of bad things, I stopped by the San Francisco Allen Edmonds store for an expert opinion. The store associate assured me that the issue was minor and that any competent cobbler could fix it. He then told me that they’d be happy to take care of it for me. This made me somewhat uncomfortable; I sheepishly explained that I had bought the shoes off of ebay and it felt dishonest to use any sort of store warranty. The man remained unphased and assured me that it was really no problem at all. A few days later they arrived in a box from Wisconsin, nicely repaired and polished. I was stunned. Good companies earn my business not only because of quality products but because of quality customer service. Allen Edmonds is one of those companies.
Would I pay full price ($345) for these shoes? I don’t think so. The “entry level shoe” market has gotten more crowded in the past couple of years and the choices are far more vast compared to what they once were. However, Allen Edmonds shoes are often on sale and when that is the case I think that they are still among the best options for quality shoes at a reasonable price. Not only that but the shoes are much more accessible than the many online-only storefronts so many people can find a place to try them in person, which makes all the difference. Combine that with the recrafting service, large variety of sizes, and the great customer service and it starts to look like a pretty good deal.
Granted, those that are looking for a sleek English oxford will not find it at Allen Edmonds. Nonetheless, the American sensibility and “not too formal, not too casual” look that their classic models provide work well for most lifestyles and provide a great starting point for the man looking to understand what a quality shoe really looks like.
The rest of the “One Year Later” series can be found here.
Last week: serious shoes for serious business.
Vintage Ferragamos - 30 years old and still going strong.
Consider This: Dress better than you feel.
We all have days in which we don’t feel that great but still need to get things accomplished. It may be a lack of sleep, long work hours, lingering head cold, unexpected hangover, funky Chinese food or a myriad of other reasons. Many of these situations can be avoided to some degree, but less-than perfect days will always exist. The difference comes in how we react to them. My method of combating these difficult days involves one easy step: dress better than you feel. Here’s why:
1. You’ll feel better.
I’m no Christian Scientist but I think it’s hard to deny that part of the discomfort that comes from feeling crummy is in our heads. Some Tibetan guy once said that “pain is inevitable; suffering is optional,” and to me that sounds about right. When I wake up from a late night of karaoke or a tough deadline I compensate with an extra effort in dressing professionally - perhaps a nice twill shirt instead of oxford, worsted trousers instead of khakis, or a printed tie instead of a knit. Most of us here in blogland love the sensation that comes with dressing well, and I find that it does wonders for my hangover as well; for me it is much easier to attack the day and get work done if I feel like a professional. Heading to the office in a crisp suit and tie feels much better than doing the same in my old college hoodie.
2. You’ll keep the whole office from knowing.
I’ve never understood why so many people wear their feelings on the outside while in the office. You can always tell the guys that were out a bit too late drinking or are fighting a head cold; they show up (a bit late) in old loose jeans and a wrinkled shirt, wearing the story of last night’s bender on their sleeves (pun somewhat intended). The same goes with the chronic over-workers; they roll in looking frazzled and rumpled so that everyone knows that they were in the office until midnight last night. I find both of these approaches to be foolish. If I dress sharp and arrive on time I am not bothered with wise cracks or sympathy - everyone treats me like normal and I can suffer in peace. At the end of the day, I’d rather get ”got an interview or something?” over “I remember my first hangover.”
3. Perception is everything.
It’s an unfortunate truth - too often our success in life is tied to how we are perceived and not what we are actually capable of. This is especially true in a professional setting. For this reason I try to put my best foot forward when I know I’ll need it the most. I don’t believe that “it’s always better to be overdressed” like some say but when I’d like to take the focus off my tired body I have no problem deflecting with sharp business attire.
Of course, the most important thing to do to alleviate those crummy days is to take care of yourself. Good diet, sleep, exercise and moderation in vices are the best way to ensure a happy and productive day. But when you wake up with a pounding headache and a conference call in two hours, consider dressing over instead of under.
