H&M Wool Baseball Jacket

Hey bros,

If you didn’t notice, back in September I uploaded a bunch of random pictures that I liked/were inspired by (as much as I can get inspired by anything). Anyway, I included this little beauty:

Available at H&M for $50. Turns out, it was just endorsed by GQ today. Sometimes I DO know what I’m talking about, see? If you’re in need of a fall jacket, something for those sunny but still 50s/60s days, run by an H&M and give it a look.

Best,

MD

Uniqlo Launches Online Site

I know the iPad mini dropped today, and that’s seemingly big news in the corporate/business/Popular Science realm, but in the menswear realm, there was big news as well.

Uniqlo has finally, finally gotten their shit together to offer online service in the US. If you haven’t heard ot Uniqlo, that’s okay, but you should get familiar with it. It’s basically Japan’s answer to the Gap, but from what I’ve heard, it has better quality and tailoring at cheaper prices - just good, quality, affordable basics. I’ve never handled any of their stuff, but I’ve always wanted to. Supposedly it’s pretty legit, but until now they’ve only had stores in NYC and San Francisco, and their online ordering option through a third party was confusing as hell. 

To read more about Uniqlo, its business model, and its product (which is admittedly pretty interesting, and which profiles founder/owner Tadashi Yanai’s plans for the company), check out this article from the NY Mag. 

To get straight at Uniqlo, which is having a sale to commemorate their launch, click here. 

Good looking out,

MD

PS - as of writing this, the link to the sale appears to be futzed up. I assume this is because of the onslaught of shoppers who flooded their site today, and I expect they’ll get it under control. But just a heads up.

Just as comfortable as a t-shirt, but more put together

Simple stuff for a guy to wear. Blue button down shirt, dark jeans, chukkas (although these are technically suede desert boots, but close enough). Chances are, I’m sure all young guys have these, or something similar in their closet. The problem is, they equate this look, especially a button down shirt, with an air of formality (God forbid you wear an actual shirt, with buttons, to somewhere besides a bar or job interview). I wore this shit to the library. Just as comfortable as a t-shirt, but more put together, which shows you care. And when you care, people take notice and pay attention to you. And those people have vaginas, which I hear can be nice. 

-MD

That jacket is fat

“This green suede quilted vest from Brunello Cucinelli is treated with duck fat to make it water resistant.”

Source

Guess what bro? Your brain must be treated with human fat if you think that’s a big selling point. While it’s an admittedly cool unique property of the jacket, such that #menswear nerds can geek out over it at Saturdays Surf NYC or something, at the end of the day it sounds like you prepared this vest like you would confit. I mean, I’ve got some boots treated with Goretex, and thems is water-proof. Although I guess this jacket would be a nice investment if you find yourself needing to grease a pan in emergency situations. 

Messing with The Sartorialist

I don’t recommend watching this in class/at a business meeting/during a eulogy, because you will laugh. Props to this guy.

VICE's resident gadfly Nimrod Kamer went to London to mess with the Sartorialist, aka fashion blogger Scott Schuman. For some reason, Scott wasn't so psyched about the idea of Nimrod following him home after his book signing. Fashion people are the worst!

Step up your pocket square game

I was going to write something witty about this, but all I could think was that a Crip in my neighborhood gave me one of these for free.  Shit wasn’t silk, but it still looks good tucked in my blazer pocket. That’s how you rep your gang but still pull off mad menswear style. Cops ain’t lookin at the dude in the blazer homes. Step up your pocket square game. 

-MD

My Grandpa has this jacket in his basement

What is it with camo right now? WWII chic? I don’t really get it, because I personally think it makes you look like one of those crazy militia members that thinks the prez is going to invade the US with NATO’s black helicopters. I mean, I get that some guys dig this stuff. But I’m not one of those guys, mostly because I don’t go paint-balling that much. Fuck, if you’re going to be wearing camo as streetwear, shouldn’t it at least be urban camo? Buy this jacket, and you’ll be the coolest hardest to find guy on the street. Oh, and by the way, MY GRANDPA HAS THIS JACKET IN HIS BASEMENT I SHIT YOU NOT. I’ll give it to you for the steal price of $1000.

Peace out, 

MD

Taking Care of Rugged Boots for Fall

(This is part two. To read part one on Obenauf's LP and leather protection in general, see this post.)

Just finished polishing off my boots with a hearty helping of Obenauf’s LP. My can arrived over the weekend, and as per the the sites I linked to, I left them wrapped in a plastic bag all day to absorb whatever heat they could (it’s amazing how fast that hot summer went away). I also put the sack in my car trunk for some added insulation. The idea is to warm up the leather to better absorb the leather preservative. Working the stuff in with your hands has the same effect.

Here you can see a before and after shot of my boots. The pair on the right has had an LP treatment, the pair on the left hasn't. The boots have benefited greatly from some liberal application of leather conditioner since last winter, but I'm afraid the effect of the Obenauf's was a bit lackluster at first. That's no knock on Obenauf's though, as these boots have seen years of hard use with little to no protective care. The leather was so dry and cracked initially, I was concerned whether the LP would have any effect. But the boots clearly look better, even if you can't tell in the picture, and at the least the LP will protect them from the elements this winter. I will probably give them another one or two treatments to see if I can't restore these things to their former glory. It's a work in progress.

I also gave my Sperry Topsider loafers an application of LP as well. They were in fair enough condition before treatment, but I figured the LP wouldn't hurt, and again protecting the leather is always a nice benefit. 

I worked on my shoes around 5:30 pm, and by writing this closer to 8:30, both the Sperrys (or is it Sperries?) and the boots have darkened in color. The boots are now a nice rich brown, while the loafers are more of a burnished brown, much like the color of a cigar. The color adds a nice character to both pairs, and I'm excited to see what they look like after a night of drying. All in all, I think this was a good investment, and a nice way to kill 30 minutes before dinner.

Side note - I included this picture to show how little of the LP I actually needed/used. I'm not sure how this compares to other users, but for me it was more than enough for a liberal application to my boots, and a standard application (at least in my mind) to the loafers. This jar of LP should last awhile (so again, a good value).

Thanks for reading,

MD