You'll know what we know.
A blog dedicated to the interesting, scandalous, useful and cutting edge in the world of men’s style, fashion and grooming.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The New York Times may feel no affection for it, but Brad Pitt seems solidly behind the three-piece suit surge judging by what he wore to the 13th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards in L.A. the other night. Of course there are two mitigating factors: a) he’s Brad Pitt, and b) his threads are by Tom Ford.
In other words, he doesn’t give a shit if some twit from the Times advises him to “ditch the suit.”»
Our friend, countryman, shutterbug and Jack Spade-r Mordechai Rubinstein just tipped us off to the bagman’s SoHo sale, so if you’re bagless, this might be your chance. 50% off select merch also including scarves and wallets. You’ve got two weeks.
Last time we checked in with the Brit sophisticates at Monocle, they were getting into the newspaper business, but it turns out they sell more than just reading material.
Their online store has a whole range of collaborative products, including a hinoki-scented fragrance from Commes des Garcon, travel bags by the Japanese brand Porter, and even a Swedish bike. The newest addition is a scarf from Drakes, but from the sound of things, there’s plenty more in the pipeline.
It’s a bit odd for a boutique magazine to have an actual boutique tagging along, but we can’t say we mind. Most men’s magazines distinguish themselves by their taste in swag; why not put all that taste to work?
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
We’ve had a few leading men land MOTHs while wearing scarves so far: Brad Pitt, Matthew Broderick and Stanley Tucci to be specific. None of them pulled it off with quite as much rock star style and sheer aplomb as the newest addition to the club, however: actor Jared Leto.
At an anti-animal cruelty event hosted by Ellen DeGeneres in L.A. the other night, Leto wore a black-and-white tartan fringed affair of indeterminate origin with a snappy dark blue pinstripe single-breasted peak lapel jacket from Japanese haute-hipster label Roen, a contrast-collar dress shirt from Operations, and dark wash jeans by J. Lindeberg.
Feeling Lively: The implausibly named Blake Lively loosens up for W. [FashionIndie]
Tiny Dancer: A few days in the life of a professional dance partner. [NYMag]
Mallrats: Dubai gets incrementally more batshit insane. Yes, again. [Men.Style]
Protect Your Neck: A rundown on advanced scarf-knotting, including the elusive Tennessee Twister. [Normann Copenhagen via Selectism]
As expected, Japan is already making a play to be the go-to source for Americana. Exhibit A: the latest line from Tokyo-based Hare, which delves into both workwear and the previously unnamed mountainwear, which consists mostly of flannel and nylon vests.
As is becoming the rule with Japanese designs, it’s familiar but stripped down enough to seem a few steps ahead of the stateside curve. There’s a lot of emphasis on scarves and boots, but somebody has to pick up the accessory slack.
Hyden Yoo has been a New York boutique mainstay for some time, but after seeing his Spring/Summer ’09 collection, we’re ready for him to jump into the world of department store pop-ups and fast-fashion collaborations.
Between this angular three-piece and the asymmetrical cardigan after the jump, he’s earned a much higher profile than he has. Our only complaint is the Keffiyeh-esque scarf. It may be time to give that one back to the Palestinians.
We have to hand it to the Brits; they make a damn fine scarf.
The latest example is from a small London studio called Leto & Ariadne. They claim to pay most of their attention to drape and texture, but their approach to color is what caught our eye. The scarves blend simple colors in a way that’s equal parts Scottish plaid and Southwestern quilting, all with nothing more than fancy loomwork.
Now if they could just find a stateside shop…
Black and gray get all the cred, and there’s always a new color of the year kicking around, but whites and light khakis can have the same panache if you pull them off right. And white bucks are certainly a step in the right direction.
In this case, your guide is Conference of Birds, the same label that gave us the coats we gushed over this summer. This time around they’re feeling a little more summery, and giving us a quick refresher on the best ways to wear white pants.
Memorial day can’t get here soon enough.
The suit’s not bad, but for once we’re more interested in the model’s mug.
The label is San Francisco’s Nice Collective, which makes the beardo-love a bit more plausible, but for all the wow-factor, there are definite drawbacks to using Rubinesque models.
For one, how do you tell what kind of scarf knot he’s using?
The Selectism folks turned us onto this foulard Tom Ford just dropped on the market (along with a woven belt, naturally).
It’s part of his well-documented Italian campaign, but this particular item might be a bridge too far. Whether the resonance is Italian anarchists or American sailors, it seems a bit too loaded for casual wear. Of course, we’re always ready a Ford fan to prove us wrong…
On the heels of Mr. Varvatos, the Swedish Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair has finally opened up an online shop. The prices, while not bad for a boutique brand, are also all in Kronor, so you’ll want to keep Google handy. (It’s 15 cents to the kronor, if you’re the calculator type.) There’s all the avant-Scandanavian gear you’d expect—drop crotch trousers, check; contrast patch dress shirts, check—but on the off-chance you aren’t signed on for the Swedish look just yet, there are still a few items ripe for broader appeal—these wool scarves for one. If Sweden can be counted on for one thing, it’s a good muffler.
