I was recently asked by a men’s magazine for my thoughts on what makes a perfect t-shirt. I immediately thought of Marlon Brando. What Brando did for the Schott Perfecto motorcycle jacket in The Wild One (1953) he had also done for the t-shirt in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
I have been a longtime follower of and listener to David Byrne’s monthly streaming music playlist. I just “rediscovered” David Byrne Radio at Mixcloud after getting DB’s email newsletter this morning. For April’s show, John Fitzgerald, aka DJ Fitz, put together a mix of his favorite songs from the Middle East and Maghreb, focused on the golden era of disco and funk (1975 – 1985).
This is not a geography I would immediately associate with really good funk or disco. This playlist, however, opened my ears to a whole new world, thanks to the talents of DJ Fitz and the unyielding good taste of David Byrne. It’s totally unexpected and absolutely fantastic. I had to share…
A t-shirt is great, but not every man fills one like Marlon Brando or Chris Evans. Jeans are perhaps the most democratic garment in all of menswear, worn by everyone from the 1% to real people, but not every man looks great in them, no matter how expensive they are. But in a well-tailored suit, every man looks his best.
More than any other bicycle in the world, aside from the one I currently own, I have the biggest crush on the trusty vintage Raleigh DL-1. For years, I looked high, I looked low and I waited and waited for the perfect one to show up on eBay. But, alas, no dice. The frame would either be too large or too small, or there would be some other deal-breaking bummer in the bike’s overall condition, like too much rust. I eventually ran out of patience in the Summer of 2015 and treated myself to a beautiful custom Chief from Heritage Bicycle in Chicago. (It’s gorgeous and I love it.)
From 1940s through the 1970s, Raleigh made the DL-1 in three different versions: the Sports, the Superbe and the Tourist. With maybe some minor differences in the frame’s geometry, these classic bikes were basically the same, but with different packages built onto them, like a Sturmey-Archer Dynohub generator with a front and rear lighting set, a fork lock, rod brakes, an air pump, a full chain guard, a leather “touring bag” under the Brooks saddle… Things like that. They were mostly available in rich black, coffee or that gorgeous bronze green.
When it comes to ties, we have a fantastic resource in The Tie Bar for affordable and chic basics for a ridiculous $19. For a well-rounded wardrobe peppered with more unexpected splendors, one must get more esoteric for more rarified accoutrements. Fine & Dandy right here in my neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, has wonderful unique ties and accessories. Another resource I’ve come to love is General Knot & Co.
It’s official: the Oscars are possibly the worst occasion on which to observe well-executed black tie, with very few exceptions. Not only are simple tailoring cues missed by a mile, but there is also that unnecessary urge for some men to make a statement.
My evolutionary process is ever changing. After trying on an office space for a few months, I’ve realized that it doesn’t quite fit me. So I’m stripping down my studio apartment to the bare essentials to accommodate what I call a “hotel chic” aesthetic. It’s all about less but better.
I’ve been sleeping under down comforters for more than thirty years. But when my puppy Lenore recently turned my bedroom into what looked like the massacre of a flock of seagulls (with an impressive debris field, I might add), I took the opportunity to try an alternative to a feather-stuffed comforter.
After a series of difficulties and an eventual breakup with an online made-to-measure company I’d been using for years, I decided to finally try Black Lapel.
I’ve never made a living doing just one thing. I’ve always had side gigs here and there that supplemented my livelihood. One of my fantasy jobs would be as a wardrobe consultant for a politician, an executive or an on-camera personality. I think I’d be really good at it.
I’ve written before about the streamlined dress code of men in power, a subject that interests me greatly. Over the course of the much-ballyhooed current election cycle (or any election cycle, now that I think about it), I can’t help mentally re-dressing the candidates. Even with the inherent sartorial constraints of American politics, which entails a lot of blue, gray, white and splashes of red, there is a lot more room for elegance without being overly flashy.