Twice a month, we like to give our sponsors a special shoutout. Doing so allows us to thank them for their support and update readers on our sponsors’ special happenings.
As an online custom shirtmaker, Proper Cloth is unique in that they offer the same poplins and twills you can find from any bespoke shirtmaker, but they also have a wide range of casual fabrics for different activities and occasions. Their “Performance Collection” is made of premium nylon-elastane stretch blends that allow you to ride a bicycle across the city and arrive looking reasonably presentable. These blends wick moisture from the skin, helping you stay cool and dry, and they have a bit of stretch in them that allows you to be more active.
They also have some new fabrics that you can use to make a camp collar shirt. Included are some wide-striped Japanese seersuckers, vacation-styled rayon prints, faded Madras, linen plaids, and the very unusual knitted terry. Proper Cloth also recently put up a page about the history of the camp collar style. The boxy, relaxed cut, finished with a straight hem and turnover collar, can be traced back to shirts that Filipinos and Cubans wore in the 19th century. Today, there’s just something very relaxed and comfortable about the look. You can wear it with shorts, jeans, or drawstring pants, and then team it with nearly any kind of slip-on shoe.
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 return 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.
From now until the end of Saturday, Dapper Classics is offering a further 25% off their sale items. This puts some of their socks as low as $10, tailored trousers at $94, and neckties at $56. If you’re looking for something versatile, it would be hard to beat these grey flannel trousers (as close as you can get to a staple in a classic tailored wardrobe). You can wear these with navy sport coats, brown tweeds, and even dressier forms of casual outerwear. For socks, you’ll want to match the color of your socks to your pants (something such as these grey herringbone socks will do well with those grey pants). Lastly, Dapper Classics added a new oxford shirt to their shirt collection. This one comes with a light blue windowpane pattern — a rare find in the world of oxford shirtings.
Seiko is considered to be an “in the know” watch brand to people who are obsessive about mechanical watches. The company’s Spring Drive movement keeps remarkably accurate, and its iconic “snowflake” dial is a mesmerizing sight. This week, Rowing Blazers partnered with the Japanese watchmaker to create three versions of the Seiko 5 sports watch. Each Rowing Blazers version has a case back that’s decorated with the company’s contemplative skeleton as a memento mori (a reminder that time flies). Each of the three watches also carries a colorful pattern at the front of the steel case — Rowing Blazers’ signature zig-zag stripe, a multicolor croquet stripe, and a four-colored pattern that’s a tribute to the ’90s.
The watches are designed to complement the sort of off-beat, neo-prep clothes that Rowing Blazers has become known for, but they’re also the sort of cheerful accessory you can pair with sedate trad ensembles or even the basic casualwear you find at J. Crew. “I wanted this capsule collection to be understated and subtle, but fun,” says Jack Carlson, Rowing Blazers’ founder. “This is our first real foray into the world of watches — although we often sell vintage Seikos on our site — and I couldn’t imagine a better partnership. I’m very grateful to my good friend and watch rabbi Eric Wind for making the connection and assisting with the design process.”
Each watch comes with a bracelet, an alternative nylon military strap, and a Seiko dad hat. You can find all three designs on Rowing Blazers and Seiko’s websites.
Nigel Cabourn is running their spring sale right now, where you can find select items discounted by as much as 50%. Included are the company’s work shirts, chore coats, and iconic Cameraman jacket (available in appropriate spring materials). Nigel Cabourn’s relaxed legged, British Army pant not only feels more comfortable their slim-fit counterparts, but they will also give you the ability to play around with different trouser silhouettes. Wider-legged pants often go well in military-inspired and workwear ensembles (try them with parkas). The blue-striped CPO shirt can be worn with just about anything — fatigues, jeans, or chinos — while the “race jacket” can be that lightweight layering piece you can throw over workwear shirts in the warmer months without feeling like you’re overheating.
The company has also discounted their mechanic’s caps, which are modeled after something mechanics and flight crew members of the US Air Force wore during the Second World War. This low crown, six-panel cap will look more coherent with workwear outfits than the raised, buckram-reinforced caps you find from New Era. It recalls the past without being too vintage-y. Nigel Cabourn has them in versatile colors, such as navy, stone, washed olive, and gray.
When Brooks Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year, many enthusiasts worried that the brand would be resold to new owners and lose the little luster it had left. The company’s long slide into irrelevancy in the last twenty years has been a slow heartbreak for trad diehards. So when the company debuted more graphic tees and cheap-looking sweatpants earlier this season, many felt their fears were confirmed.
The thing is, you can still find good Brooks Brothers products, but you have to hunt on the second-hand market. Yesterday, LuxeSwap posted nearly 150 Brooks Brothers auctions on eBay. Included are some Scottish knits, Brooks Brothers’ made-in-NY ties, and those Garland-produced button-downs that were the stuff of legends. There are also some good deals on Brooks Brothers’ belts, scarves, and nubby knitted ties. Lastly, don’t forget to check out the selection of espadrilles. LuxeSwap has a giant selection of them in nearly every summer-ready color.
