12 Best of 2012, Part II

As promised yesterday, here is Part II of my top 12 of 2012:

Grenson Ellery Double Monk Shoes - $223.33

Double Monk shoes were something I had been dreaming of for years, when they exploded on the scene. I attribute this to a picture of my Grandfather during WWII, in his khaki pilot best, sitting on steps, wearing a snazzy pair of cap-toed monk strap shoes. Before - and after - the war, he worked in menswear, so I suppose his shoes shouldn't elicit too much surprise. I was able to snap these up at 1/2 price from Haberdash (yay!), and they make looking sharp very easy. They go great with...

Ludlow sportcoat in Colburn English Wool Tweed - $298

Tweed? Necessary for the cooler months, but not overly professorial in this contemporary cut by J.Crew. It looks great as a sportcoat worn over a shirt and tie, with nice dress pants, for a more formal affair, but it looks great dressed down with...

SL-120x (Straight Leg) - $240

A slim straight leg by 3Sixteen in a ridiculously saturated dark indigo, which looks fantastic dressed up or down. I, not being the skinny type, can't pull off slim tapered, but these straight leg jeans give me a nice modern look, and are made of great selvedge, with black weft threads, causing great electric fades. I bought mine at Self Edge, and you can't go wrong entrusting your denim wants to Kiya. The back patch is made by Tanner Leather Goods, and they also made my...

 

 Utility Bifold in Oxblood - $75

Tanner Goods wallet. My old wallet was getting real ratty, and my in-laws were nice enough to get me this sweet replacement. I love Tanner, I have one of their belts, and can say nothing but positive things about it. Hopefully this little number will give me great pocket fades in my 3Sixteens. If I wear them with...

Sherpa Bedford Cord Trucker Jacket - $88.90

A Levi's Trucker Jacket for the Canadian tuxedo look. Two points in this outfits favor? 1) Corduroy instead of denim and 2) Type II pleats down the front. My favorite jean jacket look. Oh yeah, warm sherpa lining, and hand pockets. It's my go-to winter casual jacket. If I feel like going one stop above sneakers or boots, I wear...

Otis 1955 Crepe Sole Camp Moc Oxford - $195

Ridiculously comfortable, these camp mocs by Eastland, part of their 1955 collection, are truly multipurpose shoes. Lazy Sunday? Throw 'em on. Late for work? Throw 'em on. These are damn near zombie apocalypse level on the run shoes.

Well, there you have it. My favorites of 2012. I'll catch you all next year!

12 Best of 2012, Part I

With 2012 drawing to a close, and the Mayan's incorrect about our end, I wanted to put together a list of my favorite "gets" of 2012. Shoes, accessories, shirts, jackets - this list has it all. Below are 6 of my 12 favorites of this year:

Walkover Suede Saddle Shoes - $269

These shoes brought my summer wedding game to a new level, and really paired nicely with everything from suits, to jeans, to, well, the below...

Dockers Alpha Khaki in Olive Camo - $64

2012 was the year of camouflage, according to sources like GQ and Complex. I was hooked by camo from the second I saw it return, however, my lovely wife was less sold, and deflected my inner Jay-Z, vetoing any purchase of the lovely Baldwin Ryan Camo pant. However, at considerably less cost, I was able to negotiate these lovely Alphas. They are very comfortable, and are a great place to hang...

 Corter Bottle Hook - Currently Sold Out!

I was smart enough (read: my wife sent me it) to help out with the Kickstarter of this lovely invention, and poof! - my carabiner key holder was forever cast away. Now, when the time is right for a beer, I just used my bottle hook. And I know the time is right for a beer, thanks to...

18mm NATO Watch Band - $11.95

Yeah, this neat watch band holds my watch to my wrist, letting me know it's late enough in the day to crack a beer. Red and black are two colors I love together, so this was a no-brainer. You can see it working in concert with my next favorite item from 2012 in the photo below taken at Haberdash's Fashion Night Out party where I'm wearing...

Frank and Oak Hemingway Button-Down - Not Available

This shirt has a nearly 1 to 1 wear to complement ratio. Nothing else I own has that. Not. One. Thing. And it was $45, super cheap relative to it's quality. It's cool, and how do I keep cool? With...

Ray Ban New Wayfarer - $125*

The * is because my wife got these for free as a gift from a client. She immediately gave them to me. My wife>your wife. And because they were free, to me, they were cheap sunglasses like ZZ Top. 'Nuf said!

Stay tuned for Part II

I Demand the Supply Jacket

This Christmas holiday, snow fell outside the suburban Cleveland windows of my in-laws house, as I reclined on their leather couch, a fire going in the fireplace behind me. Recent wants having been sated by gifts, good food, more than adequate alcohol and relaxation, my mind drifting in the winter wonderland haze turned to...why spring wardrobe possibilities of course! I mean, what do you think about when reclining by a fire during Christmas time, Christmas movies?

A few days before our Christmas trip, I read about Rogue Territory's Houston pop-up shop. Filing it away in my mental rolodex, I thought perhaps I would check out their site to see what else they had of interest aside from the well-buzzed about (and deservedly so) Stanton cut jeans - sold here in Chicago at Haberdash.

I immediately noticed their Supply Jacket on their homepage, and in three different, but equally beautiful denims:

SUPPLY JACKET-LTBLUBRKTWL- $195

SUPPLY JACKET-ISC- $210

SUPPLY JACKET-DKIND- $210

I admit, I am something of a sucker for a jean jacket, but I particularly admire the qualities of this cut. First of all, it's long in the body, a nice nod to those who don't dress in a vintage, high-waisted style. Second, it's got hand warmer pockets; even though this jacket is meant for spring and mild weather, hand pockets are absurdly useful. Lastly, each of the three varieties are cut from wonderful, high-quality selvedge fabric, sanforized to minimize shrinkage, but hard wearing. I am most drawn to the DKIND model - dark indigo in 10.5 ounce sanforized fabric from Kaihara Mills (bottom). The lighter weight of the fabric would make it an ideal spring/fall garment here in Chicago. But honestly, any of these jackets are a great cut, well-priced, and tasty as all get out. While this cut (hopefully) will be around a while, these particular denims are very limited, so order one while ye may.