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J Crew and Loro Piana

J Crew uses Loro Piana cashmere yarn for its sweaters. So what accounts for the difference between $1,000+ Loro Piana sweaters at high end boutiques and the $300 ones at J Crew?

On the one hand, quality manufacturing - the boutique sweaters are made in Italy, J. Crew’s in China. On the other hand, Loro Piana’s need to maintain its luxury brand image. 

Read more in the Wall Street Journal here, and if you want to identify the good stuff yourself, check out Jesse’s article “Looking for Quality Cashmere” here.

Michael Drake, one of the cofounders of Drake’s of London, is featured in the Wall Street Journal. The surprising bit is that The Armoury bought Drakes?

“Mr. Drake, who learned the trade at British luxury label Aquascutum, sold the company for an undisclosed price to the Armoury, a Hong Kong menswear retailer.”

(hat tip to my friend w.o.e. for the link)

Speaking of my conversation with the Wall Street Journal, here’s the whole interview on their sports blog. In it, I discuss college basketball coach outfits like the nightmare above, which I think Bob Huggins may have purchased from one of those “Two Suits! Two Shirts! Two Ties! Two Belts! Two Shoes! Two Hundred Dollars!” stores. (To be fair, it’s also possible he stole it from Willie Stargell.)

The Wall Street Journal: The Tournament & What I Wore

Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal was nice enough to give me a call and ask me some questions about how coaches should dress for March Madness. Ben also spoke with Glenn O’Brien, GQ’s Style Guy, so I’m proud to be in such august company.

Don Draper, as he would be rendered by The Wall Street Journal.