We’re thankful as an independent menswear blog to have sponsors, so twice a month, we like to thank them for their support. It gives us a chance to recognize them and update our readers on their latest happenings.
No shirt will do everything in your wardrobe, but Proper Cloth’s washed denim shirts come close. They make for an easy but interesting pairing with tailored clothing – an excellent way to dress down linen suits, navy hopsack sport coats, and prickly tweeds (they’re especially good with tweeds). And it goes naturally with more casual weekend wear, such as field jackets and leather bombers.
Proper Cloth’s denim shirts are unique because they sit between the worlds of made-to-measure and ready-to-wear. Most tailors can’t make you a washed denim shirt because it requires running the button-up through a special enzyme wash – a factory process that’s too expensive for one-offs. Proper Cloth gets around this by collecting a bunch of customer orders until they can wash everything at the same time. The result is something that fits well enough to wear with tailored clothing (something you can’t do with that Wrangler) and looks casual enough for almost anything else. Also, be on the lookout for new fabrics on the horizon. Our contact tells us that they have some limited edition washed fabrics coming in the next few weeks.
Wolf vs. Goat started about ten years ago, when men’s clothing prices were less insane, and consumers were interested in getting well-made basics that they could wear for years to come. Since then, men’s style has evolved in billion different directions. Many consumers from that period have moved on to streetwear, others upmarket for luxury clothing. As the middle-tier has gotten slowly chipped away, it has become harder and harder to find companies making those sorts of honest clothes sold at reasonably affordable prices.
Wolf vs. Goat is among the few remaining. Their Rewards Program allows you to get 50% off all non-sale items, waived MTO fees, access to small-batch projects, and other benefits. To get into the Reward Program, you have to pay $25. The membership is good for a lifetime, which company founder Mauro Farinelli says causes him to answer more questions than anything else. “People are never quite sure if this really means 50% off forever, but yes, it does.”
This puts the company’s newly arrived chinos at prices starting around $107. Made in Italy from cotton blends, they feature a zip-fly, split-rear waistband, and an unfinished hem so you can get them shortened however you want. You wear them with Wolf vs. Goat’s linen bowling shirts ($100 with the rewards membership) or long-sleeved organic cotton-modal t-shirts ($40). Readers who aren’t interested in the rewards program right now can check out Wolf vs. Goat’s sale section, where they have long-sleeve polos ($80), slim-fit wool trousers ($85), and summer-ready shorts ($45).
Paul Winston, the proprietor of Winston Tailors and Chipp Neckwear, likes to say that his family’s company serves a more traditional-minded customer. But since the company’s founding in 1945, they’ve also made some pretty wild clothing. Paul’s father Sidney was known for producing things such as patchwork tweeds, madras trousers, and sport coats with vivid linings. And shortly after Paul joined the family’s company in 1961, he designed a small line of clever, pictogram neckties. The difference between sophisticated humor and bad taste, Paul tells us, is always “who and where.” “A chairman once gifted my ties to his board members, and that was considered good humor, but when the same ties are found at Nordstrom, they’re considered bad taste.”
Some of these ties are pretty innocent. There’s a raccoon tie, presumably for people like me, who love trash. Then festive holiday ties for occasions such as Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties. Paul has ties for people who think money grows on trees, as well as baseball fans. Other ties, however, are a bit more … well, for people with adult humor. When you look closely at the scribbly message on this tie, it says “fuck you.” There are chemistry-coded ties for people who are known for having a bit of piss and vinegar.
In a market where most companies have long offshored their manufacturing, Dapper Classics has stayed close to home and invested in a third-generation, family-owned North Carolina mill. Doing so has allowed them to keep a closer eye on production, ensure quality, and deliver high-quality socks at a lower price. Some of the world’s best socks indeed come from Western Europe — Bresciani and Marcoliani socks are widely and rightfully well-regarded. However, Dapper Classics can deliver the same quality for less because their customers don’t have to shoulder import costs. Most of their socks are knitted on single-cylinder, 200 needle count machines, so they’re both fine and durable. Dapper Classics also primarily sources two types of yarn: fine merino wool and Egyptian mercerized cotton. Both are colorfast, and the merino wool is super-washed so that it can go through a regular laundry cycle without the worry of shrinkage. After knitting, their socks are then hand-linked at the toes to eliminate the bumpy seam.
If you’re starting to build a better wardrobe, get six or seven pairs of their solid navy, over-the-calf merino socks. Over-the-calf socks stay up better than their mid-calf counterparts, and no one wants to see your bare calf when you sit down in tailored trousers. Solid navy socks also go with everything — trousers in blue, tan, brown, and olive. After that, consider getting some conservative patterns, such as pin dot and herringbone. For people who live in warmer climes, Dapper Classics’ solid navy, mercerized cotton socks have to be felt to be believed. They’re breathable, durable, and comfortable on hot days.
Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson was a college athlete who published a book about rowing blazers before he started his own clothing brand. So it’s only natural that he team up with Firstport, a Connecticut-based label specializing in vintage sportswear and its reproductions.
Their new collaboration features t-shirts, hoodies, and garment-dyed sweats emblazed with vintage-inspired screenprints that revolve around places and sports, real and imagined. There are 1980s styled sweatshirts that say “Aspen Tennis” and 1990s styled tees with “Tokyo Sailing.” The sporty, collegiate prints will go well under things such as a Buzz Rickson field jacket and some beat-up raw denim jeans, or worn in preppier ways, such as how Rowing Blazers styled them on their website. For nerds (like me), there’s also a crewneck sweatshirt and t-shirt that says “Palm Beach Chess Club,” which you can wear while smashing that chess clock (why do chess players hit those things so hard??).
Everyone has dusty clothes in the back of their closet, which may not have seen the light in years. If you haven’t worn something for a while, consider sending it to LuxeSwap, a sponsor on this site and reputable eBay consignor. They do all the hard work of selling your clothes for you. All you need to do is send them a list of things you’re thinking about consigning. Once approved, they’ll take your items, photograph them in their studio, and create eBay listings. When the items have been sold, they pack and ship them to customers. You can take your money in the form of store credit at Epaulet or No Man Walks Alone (which yields a little more return), or in the form of cash.
Now is a great time to clean out your closet and use LuxeSwap’s services. For one, many people start shopping for spring/summer clothes at the beginning of the season, which means you might get a little more money out of your second-hand clothes. Secondly, you can make space in your closet for new spring/summer arrivals (there’s always a tempting item around the corner). The term “spring cleaning” is around for a reason.
