Tag Archives: clothing

On the power of gray, women and fabric, and cold weather gear

Posted on January 19, 2023 | Comments Off on On the power of gray, women and fabric, and cold weather gear

I’ve long contended that gray is one of the best colours a person can wear. Especially a man. Just like black or navy, gray can fit in anywhere. High quality gray clothing stands out, and low cost gray clothing does not. If you dress in monochrome gray, the many shades of gray can make it interesting. You can pair it easily with any color, from hot pink to coal black.  No other clothing color is as versatile.

For more on the greatness of gray, read this piece in Vogue.

If you need more ideas, Uncreate has you here:

That’s a good reminder that you can dress gray up or you can dress it down.

Now that we are in the bleak midwinter in the Northern hemisphere, it’s time to dress warmly. That doesn’t mean dressing badly. For instance, this selection of clothes has a great palette of dark blues, carmel browns, and even some red for a bit of pop:

And if you need ideas for when it is exceptionally cold, why not go with this:

If you have to shovel, do it well.

Some men know this, but it bears repeating: men have lots of options when it comes to clothing and style. Which is why when I read this: Menswear easiest look, I though: I dunno…I guess? Never mind this: the dad ification of fashion in 2022. Try harder, is all I’m saying.

For something on fashion that is very smart, I recommend this: The Fabric of Women. It’s a fascinating study of the relationship between woman, fabric, and linens. If that makes you want to get some new fabric to put over yourself, check out these options:best white t shirts for women.

(P.S. All images from the Garb section of Uncrate.com, except one from Wikipedia)

 

 

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Don’t buy a new puffer coat this winter. Be great and get this instead

Posted on January 5, 2023 | Comments Off on Don’t buy a new puffer coat this winter. Be great and get this instead


Sure, you could go out and get a new puffer coat. I get it: they’re warm, they’re lightweight, everyone else has one, you like looking like a marshmellow…:)

Seriously, puffer coats are….fine. But if you want to get a warm winter coat, you want to listen to me and Jeremy Scott. If your problem is lacking a winter coat…

The solution, said Jeremy Scott, creative director of Moschino, is “a sleek ankle-length greatcoat” — most notably the sort once favored by the military, looking to keep the cold out during periods of long exposure. The key to trapping in heat, he added, is choosing a double-breasted style.

There you have it. Get a great coat. You’ll be warm and stylish and sleek and timeless. You’ll look — dare I say it? — great.

For more on this, see this piece in the nytimes.com. For more on the great coat, see wikipedia. (Image above is also wikipedia: Stalin wears a great coat, while Churchill wears a British warm coat which is shorter than a great coat and not to be confused with a pea coat which is shorter still).

P.S. If you must get a puffer coat, consider this one: the Vollebak Indestructible Puffer. According to Uncrate:

Vollebak has taken the puffer jacket — traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from the strongest fibre known today. Dyneema Black is 15x stronger than steel, which is why it’s used in body armour and anti-ballistic vehicle armour.

If you are going to wear a puffer, be cool. And warm.

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This has style, this has grace, this here watch has a minimal face. (Get your fill of fashion here)

Posted on November 3, 2022 | Comments Off on This has style, this has grace, this here watch has a minimal face. (Get your fill of fashion here)

I’ve been wanting to to simplify and minimize my style lately. If that’s appealing to you, check out this link to minimal classics that never go out of style. Want to simpify your watch? Well you could get this one. But maybe that’s too minimal.  This might be better. (shown above)

Also pretty minimal are these New Balance 327:

I’m a big fan of the 327s in general. Those would go great with this very casual men’s wardrobe. It’s not really my style. Personally I prefer this gray wardrobe:

Very minimal and simple. The over shirt in it is featured here.

Speaking of great clothes to put over things, this very cool Bestall Astern Peacoat is all that. You can see it included in this striking wardrobe:

All gray is great, but you can’t beat a black on black wardrobe.

What’s cool and fashionable? This T shirt: “The Garbage T-shirt diverts waste like old clothes and plastic bottles from landfill and repurposes it into sustainable clothing.” Relatedly, the New Balance 57/40 are also using sustainable material. Also cool and minimal AND vegan:  Oliver Cabell Vegan 481 sneaker. This  scooter is cool. These Yeezy Shades are cool no longer.

(All images: links to Uncrate).

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The suit is dead! Long live the suit!

Posted on October 17, 2022 | Comments Off on The suit is dead! Long live the suit!

The suit is dead! Well, if not dead, likely on death’s door. To see what I mean, read this: The end of the suit: has Covid finished off the menswear staple?  The suit has been already dying off somewhat in the last few years, with the decline in necktie use and the introduction of more casual shoes to go with it, among other adaptations. Perhaps it will be gone altogether in the next few years.

I was thinking about the death of the suit when I was eyeing this work above in London last spring. That form of business attire has been dead for centuries! No doubt in centuries from now people will be standing in galleries looking at painting of men with neckties and double breasted  blazers and thinking how odd it looks, just like how we think the Dutch men above look odd. Suits — of all eras — eventually die off.

What will not die off, though, is the need for some form of fashion to indicate the person wearing it has a specific business function. What form that will take, I don’t know, but there will be something, some form of “suit”, that indicates you are talking to a doctor or a lawyer or a banker or a businessman (or woman) of some stature. Of that you can be sure.

The suit (as we know it) is dying: the suit (will come to know) is being born. Long live the suit.

 

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(Very) smart socks (and gloves) for winter!

Posted on February 11, 2022 | Comments Off on (Very) smart socks (and gloves) for winter!

How smart are they? These winter-clothes are so advanced, they come with their own temperature-adjusting thermostat!

Pretty smart! Now they may be more than most people want, but for people who *hate* being cold, these could be just the thing they are looking for.

 

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In praise of monochrome coloured clothing

Posted on October 17, 2021 | Comments Off on In praise of monochrome coloured clothing

After reading these two pieces:

I want to pile on and recommend monochrome. As they say, monochrome dressing (i.e. wearing only one colour at a time) is a good way to simplify your dressing. It’s also a good way to travel too: having only one colour to wear means you need to take less and everything goes together.

You don’t have to be as bold as to wear lime or violet: black, blue and gray all work nicely. And if you are wearing summer clothes, all white or all beige is excellent.

If you kind of like the idea but find it too much, mix in some neutral colours: blue and a bit of gray, black and a touch of white, brown and beige combined. Easy!

However you do it, monochrome dressing makes it easy to get dressed and make a statement at the same time. What’s not to like?

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The Gap Jacket from Kanye

Posted on June 16, 2021 | Comments Off on The Gap Jacket from Kanye

After the hype of the collaboration of Kanye West and Gap, we now get to see the first item from what should be a long partnership. The jacket (above) is a bit of a surprise for me. I am so used to West using muted colours that I was pleasantly pleased to see he went with an electric blue. That’s a good sign. And the price is reasonable too.

Here’s hoping the pairing of the brand with the artist is beneficial to both of them.

For more details, see Uncrate.

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It’s Monday. Here’s a good challenge you’ve likely already been doing

Posted on April 12, 2021 | Comments Off on It’s Monday. Here’s a good challenge you’ve likely already been doing

The challenge is this: can you get by with 33 articles of clothing for 3 months? Before the pandemic I would have thought: that could be tricky. Now, I think I may be about do 12 months with 20 items!

Why not check out the web site and see if it is for you. Heck, a lot of the clothes you have in your closet you likely don’t want any more as it is. With this challenge, you have a chance to get started on getting rid of them.

Check out Project 333 – Be More with Lessfor more details.

 

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With Nike’s Every Stitch collection, athleisureware grows up

Posted on March 31, 2021 | Comments Off on With Nike’s Every Stitch collection, athleisureware grows up

To me, athleisureware is athletic clothing worn for some activity other than working out. Nike is taking that to another level with their Every Stitch collection. It’s made of similar materials to work out gear, and it comes from a company that makes workout gear, but it’s not workout gear. One example is in the photo above.

It’s a great collection, I think. If you want to see more on the collection, go here.

If you love it, you can buy it here.  Nice it is: cheap it isn’t.

Perhaps this is the next progression in men’s and women’s fashion, just as the sport coat went from being clothing you wore for hunting or horseback riding to something worn every day.

From: Nike Spring ’21 Every Stitch Considered Collection | Uncrate

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You know you want to know: how to dress up sweatpants

Posted on January 12, 2021 | Comments Off on You know you want to know: how to dress up sweatpants

Like many of us, Fashion has thrown in the towel and has decided to embrace sweatpants. Don’t just take my word on it; here’s one of  the Guardian’s fashion writers explaining, well,  How to dress up sweatpants.

Once the pandemic is over, I predict we are going to see a wave of fashion that is the total opposite of sweats. In the meantime, if you are going to wear them, use that article to be both comfy and stylish.

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In praise of the cardigan, perfect for your pandemic fashion needs

Posted on November 19, 2020 | 1 comment

Fancy cardigan
Finally! Advice we can all use: How to wear a statement cardigan | Men’s fashion in The Guardian

You might think I am joking but I am not: the cardigan is my favorite article of clothing. It’s dressier than a hoodie, more comfortable than a jacket, adjustable for different temperatures, and definitely stylish. I mean look at that one above! A cardigan with a shirt and tie is casual chic. Add more layers and you will be the picture of elegance.

I only have one piece of advice about cardigans: if you see one you like, do not hesitate to buy it. Clothing lines usually have a very limited number of cardigans they make every year, and often those are boring. Some years I have not found one good cardigan worth owning. A good cardigan is a rare and wonderful thing: don’t hesitate to get one or more.

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For fans of Lego and sneakers…

Posted on September 26, 2020 | Comments Off on For fans of Lego and sneakers…

There is this: the Lego/Adidas collaboration!

If I were a Lego fan I would so want a pair. They debut September 25. 

See the link for more pics and details.

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The problem with hand me down cheap clothing?

Is simple: it’s wanted less and less. As this piece shows, No One Wants Your Used Clothes Anymore. 

What’s changed? Well…

For decades, the donation bin has offered consumers in rich countries a guilt-free way to unload their old clothing. In a virtuous and profitable cycle, a global network of traders would collect these garments, grade them, and transport them around the world to be recycled, worn again, or turned into rags and stuffing.

Now that cycle is breaking down. Fashion trends are accelerating, new clothes are becoming as cheap as used ones, and poor countries are turning their backs on the secondhand trade. Without significant changes in the way that clothes are made and marketed, this could add up to an environmental disaster in the making.

I think there is no easy remedy for this, unless you’re someone happy to wear a limited number of pieces of clothing over and over again. But something will have to change. If you thought all those clothes you put in the donation bin are going on people’s bodies and not to the garbage dump, then read the piece.

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Posted on January 20, 2020 in fashion, new!

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Is Forever 21 doomed?

Yesterday I asked that about Muji. The short answer for Muji: not doomed yet, but in trouble.

For Forever 21, it appears to be a different story. If you read this, The Failure of the Fast-Fashion Forever 21 Empire – Bloomberg, you see an organization in big trouble, with poor management and poor demand for their product. It is still possible for them to pull out, but I would be surprised if Forever 21 is still a going concern in 2021.

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Posted on January 17, 2020 in fashion, new!

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Atoms Shoes: now in quarter sizes


Among other good features of  Atoms Shoes is their availability in quarter sizes. So if you really want an accurate fit, you can get it. They are a nice looking shoe, too. Worth checking out.

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Posted on October 8, 2019 in fashion, new!

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How to make a man’s Zara suit look expensive


GQ has the five good ideas here: 5 Tricks That’ll Make Cheap Suits Look More Expensive. I said “Zara” but you could do the same with lower end suits as well.

I’d add:

  1. Get the whole suit tailored to fit. They mention the sleeves, but if you get the jacket tapered to your body, the impression of fit will be strong and it won’t look off the rack.
  2. Go with a conservative colour. I like this suit over the one in the GQ article. It’s somewhat bold with windowpane plaid (vs pinstripe or solid), but the charcoal grey tones it down. Grey suits and jackets are deceptive: even the cheapest of them are hard to guess how expensive they are unless you look closely and know clothing.
  3. Go with good accessories in general, not just shoes. A great watch, French cuff shirt with cufflinks, a beautiful tie: all of those things give an impression of being expensive. Be bold here. I like how the suit pictured is paired with a shirt and tie that have a tiny pattern to compliment the larger pattern of the suit. It’s a good look. And his shoes stand out in a good way and look great with the tapered pant.

For details on this suit, go here.

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Posted on September 18, 2019 in fashion, new!

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On Fred Perry, fashion writing, and the Guardian


Here are two pieces on the association of Fred Perry and political fashion.. This one, Why does the far right love Fred Perry? Mainstream fashion is its new camouflage | by Cynthia Miller-Idriss in The Guardian and this one, Fred Perry, Proud Boys, and the Semiotics of Fashion.

The first one superficially touches on how the political right adopts certain clothing to wear as a uniform. The second goes deep into the history of clothing to signify membership within social groups.

If you read the first one, you’d get the impression that some good PR could shift the negative associations of the far right with Fred Perry. After reading the second one, you may realize it would be much harder to do than that. The associations go deep.

Sadly, many of the pieces I read in the Guardian are like that. They are a good jumping off point, but if you want to better understand a subject, you need to go elsewhere.

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Posted on September 4, 2019 in fashion, new!

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The fascinating story of Paris Green, a tint that literally was drop dead gorgeous

I love stories about colours and their origins, but this one on Paris Green is especially good: This Trendy But Toxic Shade of Green Left Thousands Dead in the Victorian Era.

Turns out 19th century patrons loved this tint that was produced using…arsenic. You can imagine how this turns out, but save your imagination and read the story.

Image and story from Town and Country, of all things. Not sure how I came across it, but I am glad I did.

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Posted on August 2, 2019 in fashion, new!

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This is nerdtastic: Columbia’s limited edition “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” Collection

Posted on December 16, 2017 | Comments Off on This is nerdtastic: Columbia’s limited edition “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” Collection


Yep. Columbia Sportswear has teamed up with the folks at Star Wars to produce this limited edition collection of clothing, and the details on it can be found here in this Design Milk article. Since it is a very limited collection, I expect that (A) it will sell out very quickly (B) the pieces will show up again for exorbitant prices on sites like eBay. Still…fun.  Cosplay people can get this and wear it all winter long! Good luck if you try and get it.

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A fashionable option for men who don’t want to wear leather shoes (or Tom’s shoes)

Posted on September 8, 2014 | Comments Off on A fashionable option for men who don’t want to wear leather shoes (or Tom’s shoes)


If you are a man (or someone who like to wear shoes traditionally associated with men) who doesn’t want to wear shoes from leather, don’t want to wear Converse or Toms shoes but do want to wear dress shoes, you have what I think is  a good alternative: Delli Aldo shoes. I came across them via Cool Tools (a newsletter and a section of Kevin Kelly’s website) and I think they are great for a number of reasons:

  1. they are very stylish
  2. they come in a wide range of styles
  3. they are low cost
  4. they are vegan

Beware: they run large (e.g. if you wear 8, consider getting the size 7 or 6.5) and they stink the first few days you get them (then apparently they do not).

For more information, check out the link to Cool Tools or go right to Amazon and pick up a pair.

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