Another Op’nin’, Another Show, Another Reason to Dress Up

I have a friend named Kelly who works as a wardrobe supervisor and dresser for Broadway shows. Over the years, she has invited me to be her plus-one date for several opening nights on the Great White Way, including the parties that immediately follow. Because of Kelly, I’ve had the privilege of attending the opening nights of The Seagull with Kristin Scott Thomas, A View from the Bridge with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johannson, Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman and An American in Paris.

Kelly’s current gig is the wardrobe supervisor for the new production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Liev Schreiber and Janet McTeer, and she invited me to attend what would be my last opening night as a New Yorker. As is our way, Kelly and I like to bring a sense of occasion to the affair, since we’re talking about an opening night in American theatre’s most prestigious form.

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November 2016 Playlist

The November 2016 Spotify playlist is up! While the last few playlists have had themes to them (“Rocktober” and “The Get Down”), this one is back to the original formula, which is no formula. It’s a happy three and a half hour mix of genres and eras, including tracks from Burt Bacharach, Drake, Bette Midler, Massive Attack, Tom Jones, Michael Kiwanuka, Radiohead, Dusty Springfield and many more. Enjoy!!

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That Glorious Day of the Dead Opener in SPECTRE

SPECTRE was not necessarily everyone’s favorite Bond movie. (Personally, I loved it.) But that legendary Day of the Dead scene in Mexico City was arguably the most incredible opening sequence in the entire Bond series, and certainly the most Halloween-appropriate.

Between the nearly three-minute single tracking shot that starts the sequence from the air, onto the ground, through a parade, into a hotel, up an elevator, then into a room… The beautifully costumed principals and extras… The dizzying helicopter action that ensues… It’s stunning.

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In Praise of the Unfused Dress Shirt Collar

One of my pet peeves with the average dress shirt is the fused collar. A fused collar is one that undergoes a high heat process that fuses multiple layers of fabric together, producing a collar that looks and feels perpetually starched, whether it’s been ironed or not. It’s fine, and I tolerate it. But I’ve grown to appreciate (and even favor) a non-fused collar. It’s not so stiff looking, lending a more relaxed, confident and cooler nonchalance to an otherwise crisp look.

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A Smart New Handlebar Bag from Brooklyn Bicycle Co.

Anybody who rides a bike can use an extra compartment for things like lock and chain keys, a phone, a tire repair kit, a bag of weed… The big challenge is finding one that balances looks, durability and price. Brooklyn Bicycle Co. just introduced one that does just that.

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Falling In Love (again) with the Comedy Album

This is a great time for stand-up comedians and their fans. With more and more comedy specials arriving in the Netflix library by the boatload, as well as the legendary HBO comedy specials, comics have more opportunities to expose more fans to their wares and, thus, entice them to buy tickets to their live shows, which will always be the best way to see stand-up comedy.

When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, our only way to hear about comedians was from Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show or in the early days of cable with Caroline’s Comedy Hour and An Evening at the Improv on A&E. From there, we’d learn about our favorites and buy their comedy albums on vinyl or cassette. I had tapes from Eddie Murphy, Sam Kinison, Dennis Miller (when he was still funny), Sandra Bernhard, Joan Rivers, early Comic Relief specials and many more. That was how it worked. It was all about the comedy album.

As much as I love a comedy special on Netflix or HBO, it’s good to get an audio-only comedy fix when you can’t watch, like when you’re driving, cutting the lawn, working out or whatever.

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Iconic Eyewear from Curry & Paxton, via Mason & Sons

One of the most iconic pairs of glasses in cinematic history was the pair Michael Caine wore during his tenure as Harry Palmer in the films The IPCRESS File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967), all based on spy novels written by Len Deighton. Now you can get an authentic pair of your own…

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Classic Tailoring: A Sartorial Hill I Will Die On

The cooler and edgier bros of the moment have been embracing all kinds of remixes and twists with classic tailoring. The suit has moved on, yo. It’s all about being short, brief, casual. A hyper-softening and casualization of the suit is in full swing, moving it closer to comfy and approachable athleisure. Slouchy, even.

According to the so-very-right-now, the classic tailored suit as you’ve known it is dead, bro. Or at least that’s the vibration on the street and the interwebs.

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Sponsored: Beckett Simonon

It’s confusing to watch some legacy clothing giants from Ralph Lauren to Macy’s stumble when it comes to this thing called the internet, the thing that completely changed the way people want to shop and the thing that younger and more innovative entrepreneurs seem to manipulate with more agility. It’s almost as if the thinkers behind these old brands borrow from the too-big-to-fail music industry playbook, ultimately falling behind. With staggering hubris, they expand and expand over and over with more and more new stores in cities across the globe, then ultimately pull back and close those stores because the anticipated sales weren’t there. (Google the story of Tower Records.) In the wake of disappointing sales and closing stores, the spokespeople from these companies almost invariably tell the press some version of “We’re going to start paying more attention to our online presence.” Gee, ya think?

Yours truly wearing the Cole Bomber Jacket in navy suede
Yours truly wearing the Cole Bomber Jacket in navy suede

As I’ve written before, it’s exciting to see young brands take a good idea, run with it, and execute it well with a worthwhile product, especially when the product is handsome, well-made, affordable, and workable. One such recent entry is Beckett Simonon.

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While Our Sense of Occasion Goes on Life Support…

I went to a Broadway show the other night. When I arrived at my seat at the Lyceum Theatre for Nick Kroll and John Mulaney’s hilarious “Oh, Hello,” I took a look around the audience and quickly realized that I was the only one in a suit, let alone a tie. It looked like a crowd at a Yankees game.

This is where we are.

Jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, flip-flops, baseball caps… at a Broadway show. I also hear that it’s not much different at the opera or the ballet. It’s no wonder why so many guys rely on anonymous nude or semi-nude profile photos on smartphone apps to get laid, because in person with clothes on, their chances are bleak. It’s a boner killer.

Our culture is awash in the relentless pursuit of super casual comfort. I look around and see a world dressed in the sartorial equivalent of mac ’n’ cheese, bringing the cozy, fleecy, stretchy, onesie, elastic waistband comfort of the couch at home with them wherever they go. If I didn’t know any better, I’d presume everyone was on his way to or from the gym. But one look at the bodies infected with the athleisure virus, and I know better. If it’s about dressing for the job you want, I’m seeing armies of aspiring camp counselors and intramural softball coaches.

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