A blog dedicated to the interesting, scandalous, useful and cutting edge in the world of men’s style, fashion and grooming.
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Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
In his capacity as a graphic design demigod, Chip Kidd routinely transforms books into objets d’art. In the course of a celebrated career he’s done dazzling dustjackets for everyone from John Updike to Bret Easton Ellis. Some of his work, like the famous dinosaur skeleton he designed for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, even takes on a life of its own.
On the heels of the Bond collection, we thought we’d take a closer look at the old Kempt bookshelf.
The Art of Manliness recently put up a list of the Essential Man’s Library, which seems like as good a place to start as any. After all, a well-stocked bookshelf is as vital as a well-cleaned floor if you’re trying to make an impression.
The 100 books range from middle-school English class fodder (Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird) to dense philosophy (The Republic, Beyond Good and Evil), but there’s something oddly syllabus-like about it. After all, it would be nice to have something you’ll actually want to read»
Stripes of Summer: The dangerous allure of the white striped tie is considered. [A Suitable Wardrobe]
Vlogs, and the Media Moguls Who Love Them: A Facebook group stunt goes awry and a long-suffering underling pays the price in this web short. [Vanity Fair]
Western Homes: Considering American houses…no, that’s not a metaphor for anything. [A Continuous Lean]
Is Your Refrigerator Running?: A brief overview of the rich world of prank phone calls. [AV Club]
Shirts, Books, Shirts, Books: Taking a literary inspiration for your style is a great idea. If you’re that into sci-fi, you’re probably screwed anyway. [Details]
Photo by Anula MaibergThe “manly advice” market is really taking off lately, between a few blogs we could name and GQ’s ever-increasing “rules” pieces. And, if you remember the Tribeca J. Crew store as well as we do, you know there’s a pretty good book form of it too. Say hello to What a Man Should Know, Volume 1, available at a bookstore and preppy menswear retailer near you.
While suit-makers look increasingly towards the accountants and ad men of the 50s and 60s, it’s amazing to think they’re overlooking one of the best subcultures of the era. Forget the twenties: the fifties and sixties were the real jazz age.
Miles Davis speaks for himself, but a whole generation of icons stood along with him, ditching the porkpie hats and traditional chord structures in favor of a new kind of music and a new kind of style. Taschen did us a favor rounding up 500 pages worth of album covers for their appropriately named Jazz Covers. We can’t think of a better window into the age…other than the albums, that is.
There’s a lot of logos out there, especially on shirts. Even if you go the “art tee” route and end up with an engraved Chinese Dragon on your chest, you might have a sneaking suspicion that your shirt is saying more than it should.
We recommend a solitary non-corporate symbol stamped right above your sternum. The ampersand has a few hundred years of typography behind it, so you can choose between the officious “Arial” and the literary “Baskerville,” which you may recognize from the cover of Wuthering Heights.
As for what it means, that’s just part of the fun. You & me? Milk & sugar? Us & them?
via t-critic
