Woolrich Summer Shirts

If you find yourself wearing white t-shirts all summer, you'll also be finding yourself wearing BBQ Sauce and Kool-Aid stains all summer. Thicker colored t-shirts hide those stains a bit better until you get to a laundry machine and aren't susceptible to cheap deodorant stains like white t-shirts are. Of course white t-shirts are dirt cheap and you can get good ones for only a few bucks at places like TJ Maxx and Ross's, but sometimes you need a colored shirt to weigh down the rest of your get-up. In comes Woolrich. If you're looking for fitted shirts, you've come to the wrong place, as the smallest size they offer is medium. While a BoO model might swim in a medium, I've found that a Woolrich medium fits my frame like a charm. Worn improperly, you might look like you're going on a flyfishing trip, but with a bit of taste, a baggy t-shirt can contrast tight jeans or running shorts quite well.

Cruiser Tee

Super Dudi-Cutt

Authentics get a fair amount of air time, probably because they're dirt cheap summer sneaks. The white and navy colorways look clean with shorts, jeans, chinos, cords, and clown suits. Simple and 'understated', they don't intrude on outfits, allowing your madras or flannel pop without interruption from your purple, black, pink, yellow, and green dunks. While Authentics get a lot of attention, the colorway black on black doesn't. This is for good reason, I mean, you wouldn't wear them with shorts or light colored pants, would you? But with a pair of dark jeans and an empty sock drawer, they can look clean with a bit of punk attitude. Kid Cudi rocks them hard in this pic from his blog. Black on black can look good, just think before throwing them on with those swim trunks.

Choppers

This would have been on the Christmas list back in the day. No doubt in my mind. Though I doubt I would have actually enjoyed riding it.

PS It's a Raleigh from the 1969 catalogue.

Cheap: ... but not that cheap

Hickey is closing (in case the other 10 billion bloggers haven't told you yet) and the prices are dropping... But even then, their stuff is a pretty penny. Rock the DB navy blazer with khakis, throw in a collared shirt, thrifted tie, and boat shoes or penny loafers, and you're set for any graduation come this May.

Review: Timberland shirts?

Stumbling through a Macy's, I had been sent on a mission by my doting grandmother (yes, my grandmother still occasionally tries to dress me, not that I complain) to obtain some shirts. I had scoured the Polo Ralph Lauren section, picking up a polo and a dress shirt, but was unable to obtain a third shirt which my grandmother insisted that I get. Macy's was seriously understocked on RL smalls, as most males under six foot swim in a classic fit medium. By accident, I ended up in the Timberland section. Most people think of gansta' rap and hustlin' (or pretending to hustle) when they think of Timberland. I mean, their boots are iconic. I, however, came up with this chambray.

It's light, and perfect for spring, summer, and fall. A small fits my frame almost perfectly. The shirt is unobtrusive and layers like chocolate cake (this is an example of literary tastelessness, I apologize). For $40, it's sure as hell a lot cheaper than most chambrays out there. Now, I'm more of a trad guy myself, as khakis and oxfords float my boat, but this is a shirt that I'm glad I picked up. With one washing, the fit hasn't distorted; it's the real deal.

Polo Flannel Sale

This shirt has been on sale for awhile at Ralph Lauren's website for sometime now. I've been a sucker for this flannel since I saw it in November at an outlet. The colors are very 80's and it certainly doesn't give off a Nirvana vibe, though there is a time and place for Nirvana too. Flannel isn't a fabric that you think of when you think of spring, but the bright colors, hiding under a windbreaker, would themselves lend well to sunny, windy days, ushering in hints of summer.

Bad Taste?: Utilitarian

Okay, I get it. Clothes should be classy and easy, right? When you smush the two together, you should get some phenomenal clothing, right? Well, of course, nothing goes according to plan and you get Stephan Schneider Denim Trousers.

Trousers are great, with fewer breaks in the fabric than jeans, giving you a a nice, consistent, pattern; anchoring down your top. Elastic is great too, it's easier to pull on in the morning than belted or buttoned pants and is pretty comfortable to boot. The love child of these two things should be great, but ends badly. The product reminds of elastic old man trousers: the kind they piss themselves in, not the kind they look killer in. Plus, pleated denim doesn't look good on many people... And that's why this piece of clothing doesn't work.

In other news, Old Skool Chambray. Old Skools are making a comeback this fall, just you watch. I won't be rocking a pair (they're called Chucks, and I'm a believer) but if you're one to chase fads, I say go fer' it.

Bad Taste?: USMC

If you read the most recent issue of GQ, you've probably seen the article about the Marines suffering from PTSD abandoned by the corp. The journalist tells of a soldier who snapped when the CO had his mutt killed because it was a 'biohazard'. I may not be in a position to say the the USMC were in bad form dismissing the soldiers (though Dobie's story is fairly damning), because I don't know both sides of the story, but I would say that not being a dog person is bad taste. The guys in WWII certainly didn't think dogs were biohazards, why should we now?

Wants: R.M. Williams

I seem to be the only blogger, besides ASW, who has Ben Silver on their radar. They first appeared on mine when I was about 12 years old. Like all 12 year olds, I was lacking sufficient funds to get my dad anything for his birthday I thought he would like and would be cool. So my brother, sister and I would always pitch our money together to get him a present. Since we had no idea what our dad actually liked, we had to ask our mom.

My dad's a bit of an anglophile, as he spent a semester abroad there and fell in love with the aesthetic. His suit wardrobe has been full of tweeds, flannels, and darted coats ever since I can remember. While he was there, he stocked up on school ties and military ties. This, of course, is almost a crime in Britain. One would not dream of wearing a school's tie to which they did not attend. Which is why my dad was very secretive and did not pull any out until he returned home (good plan, eh?).

Mom, knowing my dad was an anglophile, pulled out a Ben Silver magazine which contained old Regimental ties. I can't recall what tie we got him, but I do remember flipping through the magazine, and seeing clothes that blew my mind away. Ties, suits, shoes, and shirts abounded. Just imagine that page from The Great Gatsby: you know, the "such beautiful shirts" page.

Since then, whenever we get a catalog, I flip through it, and look at the beautiful colors. Now, Ben Silver will carry some shoes from other companies, and in a recent catalog, I spotted these by R.M. Williams.

Chelsea boots are supposedly brought over to America by The Beatles, but I'm too lazy to do more research to make sure that this is true. They may have appeared in America before The Beatles and if they did, shoot me a comment, and let me know. Chelsea boots are dressy casual (ew, that term) that go with jeans and a suit. Plenty of companies have made Chelsea boots, but these (see example A, not B) catch my eye for a specific reason. The cloth part of the boot, that which makes getting into the boot easy, is significantly different than the leather and matches up with the pull-on straps. And the pull on straps, oh my: talk about appropriate branding. It's just a touch, just enough to let the ladies know that no, this is not a generic brand; this is quality, this has an attitude, and this will make a stand. Though at $535, I won't be getting these anytime soon.

For those who don't know R.M. Williams is an Australian based brand that sells boots made for the range. Like LL Bean, they've got a repair policy, though, I must say, the repair policy is the one thing that bothers me about this brand. Take a look here. It's a bit sketchy in my book. I'd like to hear customer's reviews of this brand's repair policy.

P.S.

Branding your personal style is sickening, but you might as well embrace it with style, because it's here to stay. Consumerism has been around since Adam and Eve ate that apple, it's just proliferated under the shadow of the industrial revolution, so deal.