Floral Barbour

Photographed in Wilmington, Del.

Details: Discovered this Barbour jacket on her recent trip to the UK.

First Look: Keds at Opening Ceremony

 Keds at Opening Ceremony

On the heels of their great footwear collection with Mark McNairy, Keds teamed up with Opening Ceremony to offer their first full line of clothing filled with blogger blue blazers, slim cut chinos, and and navy/pink ruby shirts which are all high on the list of must haves this season.

Review: form function form

form function form

Off the bat, I want to thank Jeremiah from A Headlong Dive for including me in the Sartorial et al series which pulls together some of my favorite blogs for the purpose of reviewing a single item. Well this time around, Jeremiah introduced us to form function form where we got a chance to sample a few items from Shawn's company. Here's my review of the Architect's Wallet and Bow Shackle Bracelet.

DIY: Washing Selvage Denim

 Rinse Cycle

I've been wearing my Gap Selvage denim for about 8 months now and finally decided to give them a wash.

Boat Shoe Roundup

Sperry's original patent for Boat Shoes

If you are looking for "the original" boat shoe this spring/summer then look no further than Sperry. But like most things in life, it's always good to have options so here's a round up of the best boat shoes on the market.

Archives || Auditioning James Bond

Bond hopefully Robert Campbell

When Sean Connery left the James Bond series after 5 movies (he later returned for Diamonds are Forever) the search for a new Bond was on. In 1967, Life sent photographer Loomis Dean to shoot the final auditions for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but it was never published in the magazine.

Billykirk No.223 Belt

Billykirk No.223 Tapered Oval Ring Belt

For me, true style lies in the details: A well placed monogram or a worn leather accessory goes a long way in my book.  Over the past few years, I've been trying to embrace this philosophy in my purchases and the one place that I keep going back to is Billykirk.  Recently, I had a chance to hang out with Chris and Kirk Bray at their shop for a project and while I was there I added their No.233 Belt to my collection.

Opening Day Style

The Babe

Baseball season starts tomorrow so I thought I would take a look back at some stylish ballplayers from yesteryear.

Archives || JFK's Style: On and Off the Campaign Trail

JFK on the Campaign Trail

With politics reaching a fever pitch these days, it's always nice to take a step back and examine the classic style and ease in which John F. Kennedy displayed on and off the 1960 campaign trail.

Close Up and Private: Spring/Summer '12 Part 2

Close Up and Private SS'12

Sergei Sviatchenko just released part two of his Spring/Summer '12 edition and it's anything less than inspirational. Here are a few of my favorites in hope that it will provide some sartorial guidance for the warmer months ahead.

The Lunar Module: From Model to the Moon

Early 1960s model of the Lunar Excursion Module

I love seeing things go from concept to construction. So I was super excited when I came across the development of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), which ultimately helped Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr, set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. 

Found: Mexican Coca-Cola

Mexican Coke

As a home owner, I find myself at Home Depot more than I care to mention but my last few trips have been well worth it because I recently discovered that they sell Mexican Coca-Cola. Now, you might be wondering, "Is there a real difference between Mexican Coke and U.S. Coke?" The answer is a resounding "Yes."

Archives || The Classic Style of Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando

Whether on or off the set, young Marlon Brando displayed a classic style that still inspires us today.

Fisher Space Pen

 Fisher Bullet Space Pen

I always considered myself a pencil guy until a few years ago when I opened up an old moleskin notebook and found most of the writings illegible. Since then, I've carried many pens but my favorite by far is Fisher's, whose pen has been used by NASA on all space missions since 1967. And as a fan of all things space related, if it's good enough for NASA then it's good enough for me.

Exploring the North Pole in Style

Matthew Henson

Alex Grant Explorers Society presents: Exploring the North Pole in Style featuring Matthew Henson and Herbert Frisby, the first two African Americans to accomplish such a feat.

Penfield's SS '12 Vassan Two-Tone

Penfield Vassan Two-Tone

When it comes to spring, my jacket of choice is Penfield's Vassan. Whether in solid or a two-tone colors, this lightweight parka always looks good with everything I wear.

Found: Affordable "Hiking" Boots

Native Fitzsimmons

Found: Affordable "Hiking" Boots from Native. I put hiking in quotation marks because I wouldn't recommended actually wearing these boots on your next hiking trip but if you're looking for a pair of comfortable boots with a hiking aesthetic at a fraction of the price then look no further.

Archives || William H. Cosby

Cosby and Sammy Davis Jr.

When most of us think of Bill Cosby, the first thing that comes to mind is his sweater collection; but our parents saw something else: One of the coolest guys on the planet.

Every Man Should Own: Wax Wane

Vintage Watch

One of the fondest memories of my latter teenage years was on the cusp of my high school graduation when my dad passed one of his watches down to me.  The watch was decades old and had been with my father for much of his adult life.

New Arrivals: Baracuta Spring/Summer '12

Baracuta Jackets

When I think of Baracuta jackets, my mind quickly turns to the classic Harrington famously worn by Steve McQueen. So I love how their new arrivals for the Spring/Summer season stays true to the oringial aestetic of the Harrington but gives it a fresh take by adding a shall collar or a hood with a white outlined zipper.

Archives || The Classic Style of Charlie Bucket

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

With a classic navy jacket and canvas messenger bag to an orange sweater and striped sleepwear, Charlie Bucket may not of had much but one thing he did have was style.

Every Man Should Own: Maxminimus

The "Perfect" Sweater

Every man should have…every man should own… a go-to, bulletproof, memory laden sweater. You know… the one that if the house was on fire, you’d take it. Shetland, cashmere, cotton…whatever.

Every Man Should Own: Red Clay Soul

Penny Loafers

Every man should have a pair of penny loafers in their closet.  They are shoes that go with everything, and never go out of style. 

Jack Spade Spring '12

Jack Spade SS 12

From waxed canvas duffles to post card wallets, it looks like Jack Spade is up to its usual quirky self this spring and I like it. Here are some of my favorite items this spring.

The Conquest of Everest

Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary

My second post for the Alex Grant Explorers Society covers the first two gentlemen to conquer Mt Everest: Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. We have all seen the pictures of the two of them ascending the highest mountain on earth but you might not have known that they took a movie camera along for the expedition.

Every Man Should Own: The William Brown Project

Silver Belt Buckle

Every Man Should Own a Silver Belt Buckle (or Two). They are worn best on your favorite alligator but, it also brings any leather belt to life.

Jacques Cousteau's World Without Sun

World Without Sun

It's no secret that I'm a fan of outerspace but what you might not know is that I'm equally fascinated with what lies beneath our surface. Ocean Explorer Jacques Cousteu has been a hero of mine for some time now because of his courage, style, and imagination so I decided to start off the inaugural post of the Alex Grant Explorers Society with one of his documentaries, the Academy Award winning World Without Sun (which you will quickly notice was heavily adopted by Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou ).

Every Man Should Own: 10engines

Tweed Jacket

Every man, hell every woman too, should own a tweed jacket. Does not HAVE to be Harris Tweed woven in the remote Western Isles; there are storied tweed mills in the Borders area of Scotland and England and Ireland too (love the rainbow bobbles sometimes seen in Donegal tweed). To me there is something fascinating about the almost impressionistic blur that the colored wool creates; this jacket is slate blue from afar but grey/blue/black/cream up close. A tweed jacket may be seen on the laird of the manor all the way down to the jake begging on the corner, and of course countless legions of professors and librarians. The wet dog smell of a rainy day tweed is hugely reminiscent for me; walking home in a drizzle among the sandstone buildings of Edinburgh. Or maybe that was the malt smell of the brewerys, now sadly gone.

Take Black Ivy

Take Black Ivy

In celebration of Black History Month, I decided to pull together some photos of college students at Howard University. Deemed as one of the "Black Ivy League Schools," since admission to traditional ivy league schools were scarce among African Americans, Howard attracted the best and brightest who would later became doctors, lawyers and politicians. Taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1946, these pictures portray students in their natural attire during a typical school day which is exactly what T.Hayashida did in Take Ivy some 20 years later.

Snow Day: Fair Isles, Toggles, and Boots

Snow Day

Although winter has been mild so far, we all know that snow is right around the corner. My advice: stay with the classic pieces of Fair Isles, Toggles, and Boots and you can never go wrong.