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.
Apparently, it’s been about 15 years since Joseph Abboud showed a collection on the runway. His name hasn’t really come up on my radar in a long time, except when I’ve seen his name in collaboration with Men’s Wearhouse in ads on the sides of city buses.
In the second season of the resuscitated New York Men’s Fashion Week that took place in the first week of February, Abboud not only popped back up on the grid, he won. His brutally elegant Fall/Winter 2016 collection was filthy with rich fabrics and textures cut into classically British tailored silhouettes with an American flair. Wools, tweeds, velvets. And he really punched up the accessories with a decidedly masculine flourish. “Rugged dandyism,” he called it. And the healthy-looking, well-fed, full-grown models were part of the statement: no hairless, prepubescent waifs, and yet no overly-bearded hipsters, either. This was no bro collection. This was a fantastic collection of clothes for real men.
If you’re willing and able to drop $199 or more for a pair of Beats by Dre, the universe will surely shower you with radiant envy as a member of an exclusive club. If, however, you’re interested in a good pair of well-made headphones with fantastic sound and an elegant, understated design for $49, then hear me out…
I recently posted a link on social media to an article in Huffington Post that challenged the ethics of Canada Goose’s use of real coyote fur on their jackets. For the record, I am vehemently opposed to fur.
If you have a suit that was made in America, chances are that it was not entirely made in America, since the fabric was most likely produced somewhere else, like Italy. Last week, I attended a launch party celebrating a company that hopes to change that.
Who doesn’t need a simple, handsome, well-made and affordable dress belt? Although most of my suits are custom made without belt loops, I do have a couple of cotton summer suits that require a good dress belt. There are also those more casual situations with dress pants or dark jeans when I need a good dress belt to coordinate with my oxfords or chukka boots.
There are countless options for good dress belts, but I prefer the simplest, most understated, most elegent options for the most reasonable cost. Finding a belt at a reasonable cost is difficult, especially if you’re after a designer brand. The solution to this is usually to use a replica, like this high-quality fake Gucci belt, that will come at a very low price compared to the real one whilst still looking almost identical to the full-priced belt. Having said that, designer isn’t always something that people look for in a belt; I was convinced for a long time that J.Crew struck the best balance of quality, elegance and price with very handsome belts for $68. Recently, however, I came across a British company called Denura.
I’ve never been a fan of non-lathering shave creams. I like the old-fashioned lathering experience with my shave. As a fan (and member) of Dollar Shave Club, I was excited when they introduced Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter, but ultimately disappointed when I discovered that it was the non-lathering type. There’s nothing wrong with non-lathering shave creams, but they’re just not my personal preference.
Naturally, when a tube of Pillowy Shave Lather arrived from Dollar Shave Club, I was eager to try it.
Say what you will or feel what you feel about Ricky Gervais. I care not, unless, of course, you love his brand of raw and honest humor as I do. I think he did a brilliant job performing his emcee duties in his unique “if they’re thinking it, say it” way at this year’s Golden Globes. For telling the brutal truth, hitting it all where it lives and ending the broadcast with “That’s it. We’re out of time. From myself and Mel Gibson: Shalom,” he won and earned the #ZeroFucksGiven award hands-down.