As an independent menswear blog, we’re incredibly thankful to have sponsors. So, twice a month, we like to give them a shoutout. Doing so allows us to thank them for their support and update readers on our sponsors’ special happenings.
Although they mostly make custom clothes, Proper Cloth does a full-blown lookbook every season. This season, the team flew to San Miguel to shoot a series of inspirational spring/ summer looks that show how you can wear sport coats in seasonal colors such as light blue and tan. The chalky, almost red clay-colored sport coat you see above is paired with a white t-shirt and some tan, flat-front chinos (a white collared shirt of a red-and-white striped oxford button-down would work just as well). By swapping out your usual navy sport coats and brown tweeds for these more seasonal jackets, you can turn the same basic shirts and pants in your wardrobe into a warm-weather look.
Readers might also want to check out Proper Cloth’s new madras collection. Woven in Chennai, India, where this style originates, these fabrics come in dusty shades of sage, ginger, salmon, and coral. They have all the visual charm of the originals, but without the bleeding (which, while romantic sounding, can also cause problems in your laundry loads). Proper Cloth offers these in standard, ready-to-wear sizes, but you can also have them custom-made according to your measurements. Enter your body measurements or the measurements of your best-fitting shirt. A custom-made shirt will arrive at your doorstep a few weeks later. If this is your first order with Proper Cloth, they’ll remake your shirt for free, if necessary. This allows you to home-in on the perfect fit.
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 for 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.
Until the end of today, Dapper Classics is offering a 25% discount on all their boxed sets. These are three-packs of some of their most popular sock styles. Included is a collection of conservative business socks, available in colors such as black and grey, which you can wear with grey flannel trousers or dark worsted suits. All socks are knitted in North Carolina at a third-generation family-owned mill. Since the toes have been hand-linked, you don’t get that bumpy seam at the toe. These come out to about $56, or just over $18 for a pair of socks with the discount. No code is necessary — the discount is automatically applied at checkout.
Most men’s clothing derives in some way from war or sport, but few things in our wardrobe have a more direct connection to modern sportswear than rugbies. The collared pullover style has been a staple for a certain kind of Northeastern prep look for decades, but rugbies also come in many other flavors. There’s David Hockney’s “art dude” rugby look, Yvon Chouinard’s “1970s rock climbing” rugby style, and Italian Paninaro youth culture.
Our friends at Rowing Blazers have been making the kind of authentic, heavyweight rugbies that men used to wear out to the field 50 to 100 years ago. Some of their most popular models are called “dad rugbies. “We’re drawing on a very specific reference for these designs: the rugby shirts of 1980s catalogue culture; the rugby shirts worn by outdoorsmen, weekend warriors, dads of all shapes and sizes in the late 20th century,” says Rowing Blazer founder Jack Carlson. “These are slightly lighter weight and baggier than our ‘authentic’ rugby shirts, and have a twill collar instead of a knitted collar. They will retail for less than our ‘authentic’ rugbies and won’t have embroidery.” You can wear them with jeans or chinos, under duffle coats, or even the right sport coat.
A couple of years ago, Hayley Phelan wrote in The New York Times about the benefits of putting pen to paper: “Once the domain of teenage girls and the literati, journaling has become a hallmark of the so-called self-care movement, right up there with meditation. And for good reasons: Scientific studies have shown it to be essentially a panacea for modern life. There are the obvious benefits, like a boost in mindfulness, memory, and communication skills. But studies have also found that writing in a journal can lead to better sleep, a stronger immune system, more self-confidence, and a higher I.Q.”
I’m not sure if writing improves your I.Q., but it’s certainly enjoyable. And for menswear fans, there are few better ways to do it than by using Nigel Cabourn’s special collaboration with The Traveler’s Company. Formerly known as Midori, this Japanese brand has been long beloved by journalers for their vast array of smartly designed notebooks. Nigel Cabourn’s special edition is in camo, but it comes in a camel leather cover that you can use for refills. The cover comes with the “broad arrow” mark at the corner, a symbol that the British military used in the Second World War. The set also comes with a broad-arrow marked clip, Nigel Cabourn stickers, and a refillable brass and wood pen.
Along with the new notebook, Nigel Cabourn just put up some early releases for their fall/winter collection. Included are some army and combat pants, plaid oxford shirts in autumnal colors such as burnt orange, and Ventile naval parkas. Over in the accessories section, you can find newly released totes, socks, and belts.
Trad fans rejoice. In celebration of July Fourth, LuxeSwap is dedicating a large number of auctions tomorrow to classic American tailoring. Tomorrow night, they’re putting up a bunch of auctions for Brooks Brothers suits and sport coats (the ones made by the recently closed Southwick factory), shirts (by Garland), and neckties (by Brooks Brothers’ New York tie factory). They’re also putting up a bunch of trousers by Hertling, one of the best trouser factories in the world (now located in Massachusetts). Those looking for a good deal can search LuxeSwap auctions using keywords such as Brooks Brothers and Hertling. Alternatively, you can also search “#1 Menswear” to find the best-of-the-best.
