If it’s possible to add more sex to Vegas, we’re pretty confident there’s only one man for the job. Word is that Tom Ford, the designer who brought sexy back in the land of women’s attire before moving on to menswear, is opening a flagship in the heart of Las Vegas. The Gucci-rivaling storefront will be located in the new CityCenter development, right on the strip (of course).

Seems like an obvious next step from the man who brought us the G shaped bikini wax—a trend that, we have no doubt, really hit home in the City of Sin. The store is said to have a similar aesthetic as the original Madison Avenue location, but our guess is that they’ll be moving more merchandise in the new digs (it’s Vegas, after all). Las Vegas and Tom Ford—some things were just meant to be.

—A.P.

Next time you ask a fellow astigmatic where he got his frames, he might refer you to the tattooed opticians at SoHo’s new Silver Lining. Described by co-owner Jordan Silver as, “the first optical shop in New York, or anywhere for that matter, that has a definite masculine feel,” the boutique will offer a selection of over 6,000 vintage frames and 500 one-of-a-kind pieces for discerning four-eyed customers when it opens November 2nd.

Already known for partnerships with several fashion houses and the venerable Selima Optique, Silver has joined with certified optician Erik Sacher to “bring back the profession” of matching unique men with unique frames. Of course, you don’t need 20/40 vision to get in the door. Silver Lining will also be turning their eye for craftsmanship and rarities to classic sunglasses. Visit Silver Lining at 100 Thompson Street between Prince and Spring, on the web at silverliningvintage.com or call 212-274-9191.

—G.B.

Pitti Uomo 2008 Adam Kimmel dinner

So for those of you who aren’t caught up in the seemingly endless world tour of fashion weeks and marketing conferences (and who is), the past week’s Pitti Uomo—a mostly menswear exhibition in Florence-represents what is perhaps some of them best in male dress.

Alas, we have too many sartorial obligations on the homefront, so instead of enjoying our breathless coverage from the cobblestone streets of Firenze, you’ll have to make due with this list of links and wrap ups »

Jack’s back. 20% off everything not already on sale—including wallets, bags, and other sartorial tchotchkes—at the New York and Boston stores. We’ll see you there…

Bring this with you

A lot of good stuff has come out of Japan recently, but they haven’t had much in the way of suits. Until now, anyway.

Our friends at A Continuous Lean tipped us off to the Japanese brand Whereabouts, currently on shelves at L.A.’s H. Men.

Free of the pop-art touches we’ve come to expect from the land of Mario, Whereabouts seems content with thin lapels, tasteful tailoring and impeccable fabrics. The look has served them well in Asia: they’re stocked in more than 20 boutiques and department stores in Japan, with four more locations in China and Korea. In the States, however, the label’s still under the radar.

More on Whereabouts»

Our friends at UrbanDaddy have a set up a little site with Belvedere Vodka called Keys to the City with video interviews from New York nightlife pros. Our personal favorite among the stories comes from the Pink Elephant guru David Sarner, who takes the cake with his story of working as a bouncer at 54 while he was still in high school. There’s also a contest involved, which you might want to check out if you happen to be in New York.

More on the Keys to the City»

We don’t do much show-going at Kempt, but we couldn’t resist a post or two on the upcoming Capsule show. The semi-annual hootenanny is one of the best places to spot up-and-comers, and one of our favorite stops every year. This year’s crop includes Endovanera, Public School, Clae and Loden Dager, along with a handful of others we don’t even know about yet.

The show is happening 10-7pm this Monday and Tuesday in Angel Oresanz with over 60 labels attached. If you’re in the neighborhood, you just might see us there.

If not, we’re sure you’ll hear about it.

Our friends at UrbanDaddy gave us an inside peek at the latest J. Crew outpost in Tribeca, and it’s pretty impressive. Lower Manhattan can be a tough locale, especially for national brands, so for this spot they’ve approached things more like a boutique, flooding the store with collaborations, cross-branding, and plain old outside labels.

A closer look at the shop»

We’ve been fans of The Sartorialist for a while, and we’ve never begrudged Mr. Schuman a few side projects, but he may finally have hit a sour note. His latest collab is this microsite with the usually reliable Gant label. The problem isn’t the clothes or the shots, but the people. In ten quick profiles, Mr. Schuman may have inadvertently captured everything that’s irritating about New York City.

Take, for instance, one MacDonald Steffen Huelster (pictured above). He describes his style as “One part Summerset Country Club, two parts Willow River,” which explains the buffalo, at least. But the impossibly preppy name, the WASPy affectation of referring to both of his parents by their full names (Hugh MacDonald Huelster and Christine Steffen Huelster, respectively), and the particularly obnoxious cred grab of referring to his borough as “Brooklyn, King’s County” all mark this gentleman as someone we would like to avoid at all costs. We don’t like to use the h-word; let’s just say it reflects poorly on the brand.

Perhaps an underrated perk of Mr. Schuman’s original blog is that all the participants are silent.

The exclusivity arms race in New York nightlife has been getting a little ridiculous lately, so when we saw this, we knew it was either the beginning of the end times or an exceptionally clever PR hoax. Having pondered it, we’re ready to say it’s the latter.

(Fair Warning: we’re about to get very local.)

El Baño has made waves masquerading as an exclusive New York club, but they’ve been very cagy about their location even as they’ve publicized their existence. We’ve seen people pull off the secret club before, and this isn’t how it’s done. They don’t list opening dates, they don’t post menus, and they certainly don’t have drink lists as thin as the one El Baño is sporting. The shelf life of this sort of stunt isn’t going to last more than a few weeks, so we imagine they’re going for something a little more immediate. And if you think their opening date during fashion week is a coincidence, we’ve got a bridge to sell you.

We reveal the horrible truth»

We’re past Labor Day, which means the fall collections are finally trickling into stores. Our favorite so far came to us by way of UrbanDaddy: the first men’s line from Richard Chai. Richard’s brother Eddy has been ruling lower Manhattan with an iron fist for the last few years as co-owner of Odin, but it’s safe to say Richard has more than nepotism on his side.

His new line looks like J. Crew circa 2020, with low-slung cardigans and multi-layered pea coats giving a surprising twist on one of our favorite looks. And we never say no to a v-neck, even if we don’t advise the all-oatmeal approach taken by the gentleman in the middle.

It’s shaping up to be an interesting autumn.

Functional clothing has a built-in authenticity, whether it’s factory denims or riding boots. And as far as sincerity goes, work boots are one of the highlights. And not just because they’re indestructible.

Red Wing has been a favorite of ours ever since we saw it pop up in the J. Crew Tribeca store, but apparently we’re getting another crack at them at David Z. The white soles are a nice touch, but the real draw here is the tough leather and rugged construction. With the right care, these will last forever and withstand almost any conditions.

And they look like it.

Part of the fashion industry has always been digging up interesting subcultures—from skaters to steampunk—and exposing them to the mainstream until they dry up into clichés. The trendhunters are always on the case…but we thought it would take them a little longer to get around to furries.

Exhibit A: The new window display at the always-new Paul Smith Union Square store. The previous display was a dose of Varvatos-y rockism, but apparently they were after something a little more underground.

Either that, or they’re trying to keep up with world opinion of Smith’s banker clientele. But we’re all mammals, aren’t we?

See the other windows here»

Students of American style should take note: the upper class isn’t quite as old as you’d think. Only a few centuries ago, even New York was a rugged frontier town, with an upper-crust populated by shysters and remittance men. Brooklyn was still farmland and Wall Street still had a wall around it. The clothes may have been dirtier, but we’re sure you could pick up a few things.

One of our favorite publishers just came out with a book that immerses you in just that era. It’s called High Society, from British historian and noted dandy Nick Foulkes. It may be the beginning of a new historical obsession for us.

They really knew how to wear a hat back then.

In the Year 2000: Now that we think about it, what’s the holdup on space skiing? [Dark Roasted Blend]

Humble Beginnings: Art and porn continue their awkward flirtation. Hopefully the pizza boy will speed things up. [Wallpaper]

Penny For Your Thoughts: An old New York relic speaks up. [New York Observer]

Funky Bunch: Apparently Marky Mark prefers his girls a little thicker than Kate Moss. That doesn’t narrow it down very much. [The Cut]

The eCommerce bug is spreading across the East Village at an alarming rate. The latest culprit is Cry Wolf, who launched a site this month to bring brands like Harmon, Cronicles of Never, and Public School to whoever is wise enough to log on.

To our eye, it’s only a matter of time before someone draws together all the boutiques Alibris-style and makes hard-to-find labels a thing of the past. But until that time, this’ll do pretty nicely.

Well-Undressed: Dissecting the on-stage style of Ms. Dita Von Teese…but we always thought of the clothes as beside the point. [International Herald Tribune]

The Other Hard Times: ACL calls our attention to the staggering beauty of depression-era New York. But we bet it looked a bit bleaker in person. [A Continuous Lean]

Ads Gone Wrong: It’s official: Madonna is a vampire. [Trendhunter]

The Shirt of Ages: Paul Smith’s guide to customizing vintage shirts. Now we just need to learn to sew… [Men.Style]