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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Spring Essentials
I have a feeling that I’ll be wearing some slight variation of this almost every day for the next four months (if the weather continues to cooperate, that is).
The Man Behind the Menswear: Jim Ockert
The best part about running this blog is that it’s given me an opportunity to meet many great people – fellow bloggers, styleforum celebrities, industry insiders, aspiring clothiers, and even the occasional reader (hello!). It’s a wide spread of personalities but the common thread (no pun intended) of passion for men’s clothing has connected me […]
Pretend Black Tie
I had the good fortune of attending an impressively large formal party at San Francisco City Hall over the weekend (it’s all about who you know). The invitation labeled the event as “black tie recommended,” which results in two very different reactions from men: those with nice tuxedos rejoice in the opportunity to wear them, and […]
Hard & Soft Textures: A Balancing Act
Over the past couple of years my wardrobe has remained quite small and centered around simple classic items (for reasons that are both fiscal and spatial). As I’ve mentioned in the past, the expansions in my closet usually come in the form of new materials and textures rather than new colors or styles. I find […]
Product Review: Equus Leather Bridle Belts
There is something undeniably wonderful about high quality leather products. High-end fabrics are delightful as well, but there’s just something about the feel, smell, and appearance of great leather goods that is fantastic to experience. My most recent leather goods purchase came in the form of two lovely belts from the folks at Equus Leather, […]
On Sleeve Length
Over the past couple of years my sense of style has taken several distinct turns. I think this is very normal for someone who is young on their journey into men’s clothing and I imagine that my tastes will continue to develop over time. One change that I’ve noticed in particular is my opinion on […]