Common Project Sneakers

If your looking for a sneaker, I would definitely recommend Common Projects. Slim, sleek and modern they will get you through the summer.

Also available in mid and high top.

Esquire: Best Dressed Real Man

Check out Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man contest here.

The competition is not that great, so perhaps you can win! Although I don't know what you would do with $10,000 at Kenneth Cole.

Good Music 6

St. Ambroise Abricot Beer

You would not expect a beer with a apricot flavor to be so delicious but you would be surprised. McAuslan brewery, in Montreal, Quebec has been around since 1989 and they know what their doing.

If you have the chance give it a try. You won't regret it, although I warn you it is highly addicting.

I will definitely be going to their brewery this summer. Perhaps they will even have their pumpkin beer which is only available for a limited time in the fall each year.

I think I need a beer....

Essential: Leather Jacket

Very few items of clothing lend themselves to such mystery and nostalgia as the leather jacket. The thought alone can conjure up romantic images of rebellion and adventure.

From Fonzie to James Dean, and [insert favorite rocker here] the image is iconic. As a kid you look at these role models (well maybe not Fonzie) and imagine yourself hitting the open road on your motorcycle for a few weeks, living on the open road and sleeping under the stars. Or maybe your pictured yourself performing on stage for a crowd of adoring groupies, traveling from gig to gig on a tour bus, your biggest worry where to score your next hit.

But, wait you are not in your dressing room after a show consuming copious amounts of drugs. Perhaps your next road trip more likely consists of a minivan and the kids wondering "are we there yet?", then hitting the road on your hog.

The leather jacket can still be for you. However, you might want to pass on the black jackets with spikes and gregarious zippers. That does not mean you should not pay attention to fit, and quality. Far too often the leather jacket has been disseminated to an overcoat with four or five buttons sitting on you like a sack.

Pay close attention to fit no matter what style you choose.

-The jacket should fit snug not tight. If you see any pulling or the jacket restricts your movement, size up.

-Don't let the sleeves cover your hands. Although the sleeves can be longer then a blazer or suit jacket, the sleeve should still end at your wrist and not at the base of your fingers.

-Make sure the shoulder hem sits on the end of your shoulder. If it falls off in any way, that jacket is not for you. Put it back on the rack or size down.

-Keep the jacket on the short side, I like it to go slightly past the belt line, maybe an inch or two, anything after that is too long (obvious exception: Belstaff style jackets).

-Pair with your favorite pair worn in jeans and black boots.

So, even if even if you are so lucky to be contemplating your next rehab stint over guitar strings pay attention to these rules and your look will be iconic rather then abhorrent when the Enquirer snaps a picture of you checking into your favorite clinic.

Daily Grind

We all do it. Work. School. Work. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and repeat.

Our lives are based on routine. It has become quite depressing how many of us are drones, just going through the motions, but hardly conscious of our own surroundings. Money is God, living is pain. The more we have the more we want.

We do it because we have to. It is whats expected. What if I just left? What if I went back to school? What if I quit my job and traveled for a few months?

I am much more scared of another question, what if I didn't?

Have an adventure. Take a risk. Do it just because.

Skinhead Inspiration 2

I found some more fantastic skinhead pictures I thought I would share. When did the kids stop caring what they look like?

Check out the original post here.

Lofty Ideas

Something about lofts has always fascinated me. The open space, the minimalism, the industrial character all just attract me to these spaces.

I have this strange, almost romantic dream of buying one, setting up a couch in the corner of a huge open space and just living. No other furniture. Well maybe a few bookshelves and a rolling clothing rack. Its probably not the most practical idea, but it would be something.

I really love the loft pictured here. Especially the booksheft spanning two floors.However, I wish it was just a little less perfect. Maybe an exposed brick wall or some furniture with character and life.

One of my friends lives in a converted loft that was once a cork factory that had burned, but not completely. They had to sand down the charred beams that are still visible in his home. I love that kind of character.

Style Inspiration: James Dean

Not much needs to be said here. James Dean, a classic style figure if there ever was one. Effortless cool.

James Dean is a great inspiration for a Laissez-faire approach to life. Stick out from the crowd. Embrace youth. Live fast and hard.

He makes us realize that life is far too short to live with fear. James Dean embraced this philosophy and that is what makes him such an icon. He did what we are all so scared to do-- let go of preconceptions of what we are supposed to be. Sadly, his story also reminds us that life is short.

Live life by your own rules.

Essential: Black Boots

Every man needs a solid pair of black boots. Perfect for jeans, a night out, or those snowy days. they make a statement that no sneaker does. They have attitude, and a quality pair only gets better with age.

Above is a very nice collaboration with Wings + Horns and Dayton Vancouver. A bit pricey at $798. However, they actually tie the boot in a knot and dip it in water to get a distinct shape.

Below is the classic Red Wing Gentlemen's travel in black. It goes for around $260 and should last you years of heavy use. Be sure to size down on these as they run quite large.

Good Music 5

Ivy League Style with G. Bruce Boyer

Fantastic interview on Ivy League style with Bruce Boyer.
A long but great read.

Check it out here.

Lapo Elkann

Like the controversy that can be sparked by Thom Browne's shruken suits, Lapo Elkann has also been a polarizing figure when it comes to men's style. Hier to the Fiat fortune, Elkann has been an oft discussed men's style figure. Often criticized as dandy and over affected, Elkann has what can only be described as a flamboyant fashion sense.

Double breasted suit jackets with large lapels, flowering pocket squares and a blonde mame are his staples. Whether you like his style sense or not, you can't say that it is not unique. He does what he wants, how he wants, and doesn't care what you think of it.

I like that.

A Quick Note

I don't think I should have to say this, and since your here, you probably know better, but nevertheless I observed both of these this weekend:

-Sleeve tags of all jackets are meant to be removed upon purchase.

-Vents and pockets that are sewn together are also meant to be cut open before wear.

-If your suit or blazer jacket (or any other article of clothing) covers most of your hand there is a problem.

Speaking about such matters, it would also be advisable to remove tags off scarves. This is just a small detail that is easily fixed, so why not do it?

Skinhead Inspiration

Just to clear up any misunderstanding that may occur, from wikipedia:

A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian (specifically Jamaican) rude boys and British Mods, in terms of fashion, music and lifestyle. Originally, the skinhead subculture was primarily based on those elements, not politics or race. Since then, however, attitudes toward race and politics have become factors in which some skinheads align themselves. The political spectrum within the skinhead scene ranges from the far right to the far left, although many skinheads are apolitical. Fashion-wise, skinheads range from a clean-cut 1960s mod-influenced style to less-strict punk- and hardcore-influenced styles.

So with all political connotations aside, there just aren't many well dressed subcultures out there anymore. Seems like everything was just a bit cooler in the past.

I have been drawing inspiration from these looks lately.

Sturdy boots, gingham shirts and jeans. Take any piece you enjoy and integrate it in your wardrobe, you can't go wrong. I would skip rolling up the jeans and the blood red Doc Martens, unless you actually belong to this subculture.

Oh yes, you might want to keep the suspenders at home as well.

60's French Style

There is something that can only be described as disheveled elegance about these pictures. Effortless style. That is what we should all strive for.

Good Music 4

Flight of the Conchords

If you haven't checked it out yet, Flight of the Conchords is a hilarious show. Very few unique TV shows out there nowadays. I very rarely watch TV. However, this is definitely an exception. The show premiered with this:

Thome Browne Rules Of Style

Following up on Saturdays rules of style by Band of Outsiders' Scott Sternberg, here is Thom Browne's take. Long known for his controversial shrunken suit aesthetic he offers a very different perspective:

1) I don’t understand why everybody thinks that dressing casually is so much more comfortable. I’m as comfortable in a suit as I am in anything else.

2) Good champagne—good, not expensive—has been my cocktail of choice for as long as I can remember. I like them all—Bollinger, Taittinger, and others. I also collect champagne coupes; I have more than 10. They’re one of the few things that I collect.

3) Chariots of Fire, Death in Venice, North by Northwest, and The Thomas Crown Affair are some of my favorite films—and they’re all particularly inspiring for menswear. I watch movies all the time but I don’t like to go to the theater. It’s just too much.

4) Guys shouldn’t spend a lot of money on a haircut. I go to Chelsea Barbers in New York, where I pay about $30. The price went up, but I’m very loyal to the woman there.

5) It’s sad that the cell phone is replacing the watch as a time-telling device. I wear a vintage watch that’s really skinny.

6) When it comes to shoes, you don’t really need more than a few pairs of wing tips or oxfords. They’re classics. And I wear only black shoes in the city. Brown ones are for the country.

7) Men don’t know enough about being courteous toward women. You should get into a cab before a woman so she doesn’t have to slide across the seat. And you should always go first into a revolving door so she doesn’t have to push—unless it’s moving, then let her go first.

8) Seersucker and khaki suits are the key to looking put-together in the summer. I also wear shorts year-round. And I would never say never, but I don’t wear sandals. With shorts, it’s wing tips and tennis socks.

9) I like menswear from the late fifties and early sixties. It’s the uniformity and the lack of choice from that era that I respond to. It’s also the last time that there was such a distinct American style. Now it’s all jumbled up and homogenized.

10) I love white linen sheets, but they need to be ironed, so that limits my use of them. Otherwise, I like really good, starched white cotton sheets. They have to be white.

Good Music 3