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We Got It For Free: J Brand Jeans

When J Brand contacted me about doing a review, I admit I was pretty skeptical. A quick look at their website made me think their jeans would fit too slim and be too heavily distressed for my taste. Like most style bloggers, I’m generally only interested in the raw, inky blue denim that comes out of Japan, and none of that was available through J Brand. 

However, it had just been a week off of Pitti Uomo, a menswear tradeshow in Florence, Italy, and I had just gotten done scanning through hundreds of pictures of incredibly well-dressed Italian men. A few had on what can only be rightfully called “dad jeans” - heavily washed denim that stands as the anti-thesis to the dark, inky blue raw jeans we all love. I figured to heck with it - it’s not like I’m under any commitment to write about the company. There’s no sense in being closed minded, so I had them send me a pair of the Walker jeans in their “Champ” wash. They are, essentially, J Brand’s “dad jeans.”  

Dad jeans, however pejorative the name may be, are actually really nice for spring-summer. They tend to be softer and lighter than raw denim, which makes them perfect for hot days, and they’re a nice switch up from the selvedge standards that everyone has. Wear these as you would with any of your other jeans - either dressed up with a knit tie, button up shirt, and a sports coat; or down with perhaps just a lightweight sweater. 

The ones J Brand sent me are much nicer than I expected them to be. They have a slim straight-leg fit and mid-rise that comes up just high enough to hit my hips. As a man in his early-30s, I really appreciate the more “grown up” cut. The jeans are made from a soft 12-ounce denim, which makes them better to wear on hot days than my stiff and heavy selvedge denim. The back pockets don’t have any obnoxious branding and the pre-fading isn’t as prominent as the website would lead you to believe, both of which I’m thankful for. My only quibble is the leather patch logo on the back, but that’s mostly covered up when I wear my belt. 

These are priced at $187 (I see you Dre), which I admit I think is a bit steep. Valet did a round up of other heavily washed jeans and there are options that come in below $100. However, none of them have a fit that I think looks very good - Levis always has a rise that’s too low for my taste (which I think makes your torso look unnaturally big), and the Ralph Laurens look like they’re too full in the leg. It’s also worth mentioning that I’ve seen J Brands often go on sale at either Barneys or Gilt. If you’re able to find these on sale, I would recommend considering them. There’s just something nice and casual about dad jeans that feels perfect for summer and J Brand’s “Walker” version has a very good fit. 

(photos by me, Tommy Ton, and Let Itself Go)

We Got It For Free: Ledbury Shirt

I recently received a free gingham shirt from Ledbury, a relatively new shirt company that was founded about a year and a half ago. The two owners, Paul Trible and Paul Watson, apprenticed under a master tailor from Jermyn Street, one of the most famous shirtmaking quarters in the world. While Ledbury’s designs feel very American, the founders’ English tailoring background is pretty evident in their shirts’ quality. 

The gingham shirt they sent me is made of a 2-ply Italian cotton poplin. Poplin is a “plain-weave” fabric that typically holds wrinkles a bit more. Ledbury’s poplin, however, is fairly high quality and surprisingly wrinkle resistant (in a natural way). In addition to the quality fabric, the shirt features mother-of-pearl buttons and a high stitch count, all of which are hallmarks of a good shirtmaking. 

The more interesting bits of the piece, however, are in the design details. First, the collar is bigger than what you’d find on most shirts. The collar points are about 3 inches and the back of the collar is about 2 inches - exactly how big I like my collars to be, as I think it gives the most handsome frame to a face. They’ve also lowered the second button a bit so that you can get the perfect V at the neckline when you’re not wearing a tie. 

One criticism I have, however, is that the pattern on the placket doesn’t line up well with the shirt, but a quick look on their website shows that most of their shirts don’t have this problem. As well, there’s the issue of pricepoints - these seem fairly priced for what they are, but bespoke shirts from a quality tailor are often only $20-30 more. If you don’t have access to custom shirts, however, Ledbury’s prices aren’t bad for what they’re selling (assuming you get one without the pattern matching problem on the placket). 

All in all, I think the company is definitely worth considering. Many of their shirts feel very appropriate for summer, especially if you enjoy a kind of casual American style. Check their sizing chart to see if one would fit you. If you order a shirt and it doesn’t work out, don’t worry - you have a full year to make the return and Ledbury will even pick up the tab for the shipping back to them. I wish other companies would stand behind their products as much as Ledbury does. 

I’m in Esquire! The editors there recently set up a debate between me and one of my favorite bloggers, John Lugg, and had us argue whether the summer suit is a necessity. Check out the debate here. 

Big thanks to Kurt for the opportunity, and to John for the fun exchange. 

High summer style, circa 1937, at Gentleman’s Gazette.

We Got It for Free: Randolph Engineering 

I’ve been thinking about doing a buyers’ guide to sunglasses and, fortuitously enough, Randolph Engineering contacted Jesse and me out of the blue. They said they wanted to send over some glasses for a review. Talk about good timing.

General review

First, let me give a general review. These are my first Randolph Engineering sunglasses, and I own two aviators besides these. Quality wise, Randolph’s feel much sturdier and better built. The frame is less flimsy and while the metal is flexible, there is a sturdiness to it that inspires more confidence. Relatedly, the glasses feel more secure when I put them on. All in all, my impression is that these are just better built. 

They also have better warranty coverage. Randolph has the same one-year warranty as their competitors, but in addition, all solder joints are guaranteed for life. Individual replacement parts are also available for order through the company. In general, I get the sense that these really are the kind of sunglasses that could last you a lifetime. Unless, of course, they get stolen. In which case it should last the thief his or her lifetime. 

I also really like how Randolph is the prime contractor to the US Dept. of Defense for military-style aviators. In other words, these are the aviators worn by US military pilots and NASA astronauts. I’m not too shy to say that makes me feel kind of awesome when I put them on. Besides the fantasy element, the military contract also gives me a bit more faith in the quality of their lenses, which I’ll talk more about in a bit. 

Specifics

Randolph’s sunglasses are all made-to-order. I was allowed to choose two, so I picked the Aviator in matte chrome, skull temples, and gray glass lenses, and the Concorde in bright chrome, skull temples, and AGX lenses. 

On first impressions, I favored the Aviator over the Concorde. In hindsight, I think this is because they were a bit more unique than my other teardrop aviators. After wearing both for a bit, I think I look better in the teardrop models. They have a stronger vertical shape that helps balance out my rounder shaped head. 

Additionally, I favor the bright chrome over matte chrome. If you’re going to wear awesome sunglasses, you might as well go whole hog. I also like the skull temples, but can see bayonets working well if you wear motorcycle helmets or something. Those are the style of temples pilots use, after all.

Lastly, there are the lenses. Gray will give you true color reception and are excellent for general use. Gray flash mirror is the same but has a mirror coating for a bit of style. In hindsight, I think I should have gotten those. AGX has a slight green tint that helps bring things into sharper contrast. It’s easier on the eyes during very bright days. Polarized gray is for even brighter days and environments with high glare. I can imagine these being ideal if you often go boating or skiing. Lastly, tan is for overcast or hazy environments. It has the advantage of giving a bit sharper contrast, much like the AGX lenses. 

I choose gray and AGX lenses and they’ve been working wonderfully. This is where the military contract really means something, in my opinion. I feel much more comfortable wearing these when I bike to school knowing that they’re designed to perform well enough for US military pilots. 

Conclusion

Randolphs cost about $115, depending on which model you get, and I think they’re worth the money. Their construction and warranty is better than their competitors, and I like that they have to meet more serious performance tests through the US Dept. of Defense. 

The company has also has a really awesome collaboration with Michael Bastian, the winner of this year’s prestigious CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year. Bastian has been wearing Randolph Engineering’s Intruder glasses since college, and putting them on his fashion show models since 2006, so the collaboration has been very natural. The special line has 15 artfully designed models. Some of these are built from Randolph’s current made-to-order options, and have been designed to reflect a “signature series.” The other models takes Randolph’s popular Aviator and Intruder models and makes them in white, yellow, red, black, or (my favorite) navy. I think they’re nice mix of fun and tradition, in a reserved way that still makes the frames very wearable. 

I’m still working a buyer’s guide for sunglasses, so check back in the next week or two for that. 

Kent Wang just got in some new colors for his popular spread-collar polo. I raved about them last month and still think they’re one of the best items I’ve seen this summer. 

Since there aren’t any fit pics with Kent’s polos, I thought I’d share some photos of Three Dots’ spread collar polos, which I found at Guji. Kent’s polos have reinforced collarbands, so they stand up better than Three Dots, which splay a little too open for my taste. Still, I think they give some good inspiration for spread collar polos. 

You can pick yours up at Kent’s website for $65, which is considerably cheaper, incidentally, than the $200 ones Guji is selling. 

Orlebar Brown Swim Shorts and T-shirt Giveaway

A while ago, as part of my Summer series, I wrote about Orlebar Brown swim shorts. I’ve been talking to one of their reps over email and we’ve decided to do a giveaway for one of their navy Bulldog swimming trunks. They’ll also throw in a t-shirt (either v-neck or crew, and you pick the color you want). 

To enter, just email me at mrderekguy@gmail.com by the end of today (Monday, May 30th, midnight PST). I will put your name into R (statisticians represent!), and select a winner in a truly random method. I’ll then put the winner in contact with Orlebar Brown by the end of the week, so that he or she can tell the company what size they need and where to send the prize. Note, however, that if Orlebar Brown is out of your size, they’ll provide the nearest suitable fit/ style. Beggers can be choosers, but sometimes your choice isn’t in the inventory and that’s not OB’s fault. 

As an aside, they’ve also launched a new collection since my swim trunks round up. It includes some new shirt jackets, shirts, and city shorts, and I think it looks pretty nice. Check it out at their website.  

Addendum: Your name will not be added to any email list or sold to any company. It stays in my personal Gmail account, and at the end of the contest, deleted. I don’t play marketing games with people’s personal info, because I hate that myself. 

Oh, and this won’t affect your chances of winning at all, but if you have any feedback for PTO or ideas for new stories, I’d love to read them.

I’m going to Beijing this summer, so I’ve been looking for clothing that I can wear in really hot, humid weather, but is also something I won’t mind getting greasy Chinese food stains on. In my search, I found out that J Crew is having a sale on the linen shirts I blogged about last month. They range from $45-55, which I think is a really good price. Shipping is free, it’s not final sale, and every size is still available. Grab one while you can. 

Some great tropical looks from our man Adabraka Sartorialist. After all, you’ve gotta dress right if you’re gonna go to Ghana.