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.