product review Archives - Page 2 of 5 - From Squalor to Baller

Product Review: Levi’s “Premium” 501 Jeans

June 14, 2021 No Comments

I feel like there have been two types of menswear guys in quarantine – the sartorial guys who have downgraded from sportcoats and trousers to denim and sweaters, and everybody else who has been wearing nothing but sweatpants for the past year (the folks who are still wearing tailored clothing “just because”….well, I don’t know what to say about that). While my loungewear consumption has definitely gone up, I still find myself wearing a lot of denim – even moreso as my lifestyle slowly creeps back to a bit of normalcy. […]

Reviews

One Year Later: Paraboot ‘Avoriaz’ Hiking Boots

May 5, 2021 No Comments

Like many of you, I haven’t made many menswear purchases over the past year. And though many pieces of my wardrobe have collected a literal layer of dust, some have become even dearer to me over these strange months. One such piece is my pair of boots from the aptly named Paraboot, which have become go-tos for anything that requires more performance than a simple sneaker can provide. Anyway, I figured it was high time to revisit my “One Year Later” series and show how these have fared over the past 18 months. […]

Reviews

Product Review: Sweyd 055 Sneaker

October 21, 2020 No Comments

The market for “miNiMaLisT LuXUrY” sneakers is totally saturated, to say the least. There are probably over a hundred options these days, and many of them are perfectly good at doing what they set out to do. Given the somewhat sterile aesthetics that this style tends to lend itself to, I was on the lookout for something that was in this vein but had a bit of character. That search is what led me to Sweyd. […]

Packing & Travel, Reviews

Product Review: Away “Aluminum Edition” Carry-On

September 14, 2020 No Comments

Is this a terrible time for a suitcase review? Well, yes, but also no – hear me out. I wrote this review months ago – right before COVID hit – and have been sitting on it ever since, waiting for an opportune moment. […]

Reviews

Meermin Wholecut Chelsea Boot Review

February 19, 2020 No Comments

It’s been about eight years since Meermin entered the menswear scene and was almost immediately hailed as the best value footwear out there. The market for high quality shoes has evolved since then and there are many more places to buy entry-level footwear, but Meermin is still a popular choice for many menswear noobs and pros alike. […]

Reviews

Oliver Peoples “Gregory Peck” Sunglasses Review

March 27, 2019 No Comments

Readers of this blog will know I’m not that into luxury brands – to me, they generally don’t provide a very good value for the money spent, and quite often they don’t even provide the best product when compared to other options on the market. With these big-name brands, so much of the price of the goods goes into marketing rather than the product itself so it’s a difficult purchase to justify from a rational perspective. […]

Reviews

Beckett Simonon “Morgen” GAT Sneaker Review

March 6, 2019 No Comments

beckett simonon morgan trainers review german army gat

I thought about starting this article by saying that spring is on the horizon, which means that we can finally put our boots away and start reaching for sneakers. But the weather in San Francisco has been so strange lately that I honestly have no idea what season is coming up. My own wardrobe has tilted a bit toward the casual in recent years so I’ve found myself thinking about sneakers more, regardless of what the weather chooses to do. The newest pair in my stable is the “Morgen” by Beckett Simonon, a young brand that some of you are likely familiar with. […]

Reviews

Product Review: Proper Cloth Washed Denim Shirts

December 19, 2018 No Comments

It’s no secret that Proper Cloth is my favorite shirtmaker. There are many places to get a custom shirt these days, but I have yet to find anybody that has the same level of user-friendly-ness, curated-but-thorough design options, and top-tier fabrics. They just released their newest batch of washed denim shirts this week, so I […]

Reviews

Product Review: Sons of Henrey Wholecut Chelsea Boot

December 11, 2018 No Comments

The menswear resurgence of the past 10 years has been wonderful for the discerning customer, but tough for mid-market brands. It seems like every week there is a new story about a brand or retailer in trouble, stuck between customers that want fast fashion prices and those that want luxury products. Personally, I love the middle of the market – I find that it’s where the products of highest value often exist, and that’s usually my first priority when deciding where to purchase. A new member to the club of “not expensive, not cheap, but definitely good” is footwear brand Sons of Henrey, founded earlier this year. […]

Reviews

Product Review: Abercrombie & Fitch ‘Dad Coat’

November 5, 2018 No Comments

If I’m being honest, I’ve always found Abercrombie & Fitch rather off-putting. It goes back to high school, really – back in the early aughts, A&F worked very hard to be a place for the ‘cool kids.’ Since I was definitely not one of those, their stores seemed to project the vibe that I was not allowed to wear their clothing. I’ve done a good job of ignoring them over the years, but after so many people started talking about this coat I decided that I’d have to bite the bullet and take a closer look. […]