Put This On wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors, so twice a month, we like to give them a special shoutout. Doing so allows us to recognize them for their support and update readers on our sponsors’ special happenings.
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift, consider gift cards. Proper Cloth’s gift cards are doubly useful in that they allow your gift recipient to get the perfect-fitting shirt in any stylistic configuration they want. Their made-to-measure program allows people to get custom-made shirts according to the measurements of their body or best-fitting shirt. They can then order shirt fabric samples and decide which materials work for them. Not only does Proper Cloth have the poplins and pinpoints you’d want to wear to the office, but they also have casual options such as washed denim, brushed flannel, and a variety of prints. This ensures that your gift recipient will get something that they’ll actually want to wear.
Readers may also want to check out the company’s new arrivals section, where they just stocked up on merino-cashmere cabled turtlenecks (good for layering under heavy overcoats), chore coats and overshirts (a casual alternative to tailoring), and a bunch of new shirt fabrics (including casual indigo plaids). The Reda Merino wool shirts can also be used as travel shirts, as they don’t require as much washing as cotton. Pair them with denim, chinos, or grey flannel trousers.
“Cut out the middleman” has become a marketing cliche, but for Gustin, a San Francisco-based company that pioneered the business model, it’s actually true. When the company started, it wholesaled to retailers, but then eventually cut the price and went directly to customers. That’s how they built their reputation as being one of the few (only?) sources for made-in-USA raw denim jeans for under a hundred bucks. The cheapest jeans on their site are still just $89—a fraction of what you’d spend on something similar from a traditional retailer. They’re able to keep costs down because everything is sold through pre-order campaigns, which allows them to minimize waste.
If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can also get some pretty special fabrics. This week, they launched a new pre-order campaign for a Japanese selvedge denim made with an inky indigo warp and gold-finished brown weft. The fabric is a little heavier—16oz instead of your usual 14oz midweight denim—which gives them a more rugged feel. They also have a soon-to-be-closed campaign for their best-selling Japanese selvedge denim of all time, the Okayama Standard. Made in the Okayama prefecture, that one is a versatile midweight 14.5oz denim that fades to a beautiful mid-blue hue. The same fabric is used to make jeans selling for $205 around the country (Gustin’s price is $139).
Gustin also has a bunch of new campaigns for accessories, such as Horween leather belts and bags, knitted beanies, and tweed ballcaps. This saturated indigo selvedge scarf can be used with a black leather double rider, blue chore coat, or denim trucker jacket. Being pure cotton, it’s probably better suited for chilly but not freezing climes, but it’s also an easy way to add visual interest to an outfit.
If there’s ever a time for a cheerful pair of socks, it’s the holiday season. This month, Dapper Classics is offering a free pair of their red snowflake-motif socks if you purchase three pairs at full price. All of their socks are made at a third-generation, family-owned mill in North Carolina. The socks are finely knitted using high-end merino and mercerized cotton yarns, then hand-linked at the toes for superior comfort. Their quality compares well to European-made socks selling at twice the price, but since Dapper Classics doesn’t pay for international shipping and import duties, they can pass the savings on to the customer.
If you’re just starting to build a better wardrobe, buy at least eight pairs of solid navy over-the-calf socks. Over-the-calf socks should be worn any time you’re in tailored trousers, and solid navy will go with anything short of a black suit (in which case, you should wear black socks). Get a few pairs in wool and, if your climate demands it, some in cotton for summer. Dapper Classics’ cotton socks are incredibly durable, but also made with a slightly open weave for breathability. You’ll appreciate them on a hot day.
After that, get some socks in other colors—grey socks for grey pants, tan socks for tan pants, and so forth. Matching your socks to your trousers will help elongate your leg line. Finally, consider getting some simple and conservative patterns, such as pin dot, nailhead, and grenadine. These can be subtle ways to add visual interest to an outfit, which you may prefer in conservative environments. Dapper Classics also has a bunch of fun motifs for more casual situations. If you’re based in the US, next year is an election year, which makes it a great time to wear one of Dapper Classics’ patriotic American flag socks. They just stocked some in new colors, such as light blue and tan, along with their standard navy.
Nothing looks more flattering on a man than a proper black tie rig, but with so few occasions to wear one, it’s hard to justify the expense. Unless you go to award shows or fancy balls, most men only get a few chances to wear black tie per year—New Year’s Eve being the most notable. A good hack: get your black tie rig from Spier & Mackay.
In the last few years, Spier & Mackay has built a cult following for making suits and sport coats in the proportions that many affordable clothiers have abandoned in favor of trends. Spier & Mackay’s coats are made with a relatively soft shoulder line, fuller chest, and a jacket length that ends about halfway from the collar to the floor when the wearer is wearing heeled shoes. The lapels terminate about halfway from the collar to the shoulder joint; the buttoning point mercifully hits right at your torso’s natural waistline. The result is a classic and flattering silhouette that looks good on almost anyone but is weirdly hard to find on the market, hence Spier & Mackay’s success.
They have two notable dinner jacket models: a peak lapel tuxedo made from midnight navy barathea (which looks blacker than black when put under artificial light) and an elegant off-white dinner jacket made with a sweeping shawl collar. Prices range from about $500 to $600. Not cheap, but also not thousands of dollars, as you’d find elsewhere. Pair them with a white formal shirt, black bow tie, and either black patent formal pumps or polished black calfskin oxfords. Yes, this will probably be something that you’ll only wear a few times per year, but you’ll feel like a million bucks each time.
Over the last thirty years, suspenders have gone much in the way of hats. Once common in men’s wardrobes, they’ve become something of a relic of the past. But why might you want to wear suspenders? For one, they’re more comfortable than organ-squeezing tourniquets. Since your waist expands when you sit, and returns to its smaller circumference when you stand, belts are only comfortable in one of these positions. Suspenders, on the other hand, allow you to have a little extra room at the waistband to accommodate these changes. Plus, they’re better at holding up your pants. Belted trousers tend to slip down throughout the day, which requires you to adjust them continually. You can set the desired length with suspenders, put them on, and never bother with them again.
Chipp Neckwear has the most affordable ones around, at least if you’re looking for something well-made and produced in the USA. The price is $45.50, which is lower than their competitors — much like the price of their grenadine ties. They offer 20 solid colors and three stripes, the choice of black or brown leather kips, as well as gold or silver-colored adjusters.
Let’s be real. Sometimes we don’t always get what we want for Christmas. If you feel a little let down next week, check out LuxeSwap, where you can score some high-end menswear for a fraction of what you’d pay full retail.
LuxeSwap is an eBay consignor for high-end menswear that works with clients from around the world, many of whom shop at in-the-know boutiques such as No Man Walks Alone and The Armoury. In fact, if you check out their auction list now, you may recognize some items. There’s a suede Valstar Clint jacket (highly coveted on StyleForum), black shell cordovan Alden boots, Falcon Garments double-rider, Heschung Tyrolean shoes, 3sixteen x Gloverall duffle coat, Fujito jungle jacket, Wythe Western shirts, and an Inis Meain turtleneck. With over a thousand items on the auction block right now, there are a lot of treasures. If you want to narrow things down, do a search for #1 MENSWEAR to find what the team there thinks is their best stock.
