Put This On wouldn’t be possible without sponsors. So, twice a month, we like to give them a special shoutout. Doing so allows us to thank them for their support and update readers on our sponsors’ special happenings.
Proper Cloth is an online made-to-measure clothier specializing in button-up shirts (although, they also do much more). While they primarily make custom clothes, they also produce a lookbook every season to inspire their customers on how to wear the company’s latest fabrics. This winter’s lookbook features tonal outfits in charcoal and navy, as well as ideas on how to layer formal and casual elements into the same ensemble. Proper Cloth uses Italian mills such as Delfino and Drago, and then constructs their suits and sport coats in a softer, less structured manner, so they look a little more casual in today’s dressed-down world. The shoulder line is softer; the cut is a touch trimmer. When paired with slim-straight jeans and fine gauge knits, as shown in the lookbook, you have a more casual take on tailoring.
Readers may also want to check out this season’s new selection of plaids. Available in unique low-twist weaves and faded cotton fabrics, these shirts straddle the line between dressy and casual. You can get these made however you want—with a button-down or spread collar, with or without a chest pocket, as a popover or traditional coat front. Since each piece is custom-made, you can dial in on your fit, helping you achieve a better silhouette than what may be available for you in ready-to-wear. At the same time, these fabrics are distinctly casual, which allows you to wear them with jeans, chinos, five-pocket cords, moleskins, or even tailored trousers. Proper Cloth allows a free remake on all first-time orders, which ensures you get the perfect fit.
A few months ago, The Washington Post did a profile on one of our sponsors, Mauro Farinelli of Wolf vs. Goat. Farinelli started his company during the heyday of hashtag menswear, when men were logging online to learn about quality clothes and fair value. As such, he runs his ship on those principles. The WaPo story pulled back the curtain on how WvG keeps their prices so low. Farinelli works out of his home. He travels regularly to work directly with quality factories in Italy, and aside from the ad he buys on our site, he exclusively relies on word of mouth. There’s little overhead to speak of—no fancy brick-and-mortar or campaigns, no big Pitti Uomo bashes or paid celebrity endorsements. By putting all of his focus on product design and production, he can offer cashmere sweaters for $175, Italian chinos for $100, and unique bamboo-Sonora tees for $45 (so long as you sign up for their rewards program).
In a menswear market where the middle tier is rapidly disappearing, businesses such as Wolf vs. Goat are difficult to find. In the last ten years, companies have been forced to either move upmarket to avoid commodification or cut quality and fight with fast fashion brands. Wolf vs. Goat is one of the last holdouts of that menswear era that focused almost exclusively on the relationship between build quality and price, eschewing all marketing and glamour. If you’re looking for some serious deals, be sure to check out their sale section.
Dapper Classics is closing out the year with a special sale. Take 20% off any order with the checkout code END22. The discount code applies to their made-in-USA socks, shirts, trousers, and more.
By now, you should have at least a few pairs of light to medium grey trousers made in seasonal materials—flannel for fall, and tropical wool for spring. Once you have those basics covered, consider getting a few pairs of trousers in varying shades of brown. Mid-brown trousers, such as these made from Super 120s tropical wool, would be the perfect accompaniment to light-colored sport coats in colors such as tan. Tan chinos go with pretty much anything, while navy trousers go great with knitwear of any variety.
Long-time readers know Chipp supplies the most affordable grenadine neckties. They source their silks from the same Italian mills as top-end brands, but their ties start at a much more affordable $45 (grenadines are $60 and, like everything Chipp sells, are made in New York City). Paul Winston, the shop’s owner, tells me he can’t imagine charging much more because he remembers what neckties used to cost fifty years ago, back when his family’s business dressed men such as President John F. Kennedy, Andy Warhol, and Joe DiMaggio.
If you’re looking for your first grenadine, consider three colors: black, some sort of dark blue, and silver. Black can look severe in certain contexts, which is why it’s often not recommended for suits or socks, but the color manages to be neutral for grenadines and knit ties. You can wear a black grenadine with navy suits, tobacco linen suits, and brown tweeds. Dark blue, either in the shade matching your navy suits or one shade lighter, is equally versatile (a dark blue tie can also be an excellent way to visually anchor a light-colored sport coat, which could otherwise float away from you). Lastly, silver grenadines are for guys who only wear ties on special occasions — weddings, fancy parties, and other formal gatherings. Silver ties look less like office clothes than their dark blue counterparts, and the textured grenadine weave here keeps these from looking cheap and shiny.
We all have clothes in the back of our closets that haven’t seen the light of day in years — and things this season we want to buy. To solve this problem, LuxeSwap has partnered with No Man Walks Alone and Epaulet to develop a “trade-up” program, which allows you to sell your old clothes through LuxeSwap’s consignment service and turn those profits into No Man Walks Alone or Epaulet store credit.
The program is straightforward. If you send your clothes to LuxeSwap, they’ll do all the hard work of selling them for you through their eBay webshop. And if you’re willing to take your profits in the form of store credit at NMWA or Epaulet, they’ll reduce their commission from 40% to 30% — and those stores will top off your profits with an additional 10%. Effectively, that means 30% more value than you’d get otherwise. Store credit gets posted not long after the auction closes, and it never expires.
LuxeSwap also offers free inbound shipping for anyone in the United States, as well as a 50% reimbursement for folks abroad. That means that you can ship them your items, and they’ll take care of the cost when it comes time to pay you for your auctions. With such a hassle-free process, cleaning out your wardrobe has never been more rewarding.
