Introducing the Styleforum Maker Space in Florence, Italy

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What is the Styleforum Maker Space?

This January, at Pitti Uomo 93 in Florence, Italy, Styleforum will be hosting its inaugural Maker Space. The Styleforum Maker Space is an open space designed to showcase the work of small brands and artisans interested in showing to both wholesale buyers and retail consumers. It is a combination pop-up shop and wholesale space, geared towards exhibiting fantastic small brands and makers to Pitti’s influential and knowledgable visitors.

Many vendors, buyers, and visitors to Pitti Uomo are interested not just in wholesaling their wares or purchasing for stores, but also in taking the opportunity to shop for themselves. Our space offers small brands and makers a location in which to demonstrate their craft, showroom to wholesale customers, and sell immediately to attendees should they choose to do so.

If you are attending Pitti Uomo, we invite you to visit the Styleforum Maker Space!

styleforum maker space 2018 pitti uomo 93

Where to find the Maker Space:

We will be housed in a very large (260m2) apartment with a substantial space for greeting and showing to clients and influencers. The location in the heart of Florence offers both a central location and a comfortable counterpoint to the crowds of Pitti Uomo.

When we’ll be there:

January 9-11 2018, during Pitti Uomo 93.

Who’s invited:

Any attendee invited by a vendor or carrying a Pitti Uomo badge will be welcome inside the Maker Space.

What we offer:

For vendors, we offer a beautiful space in which to showcase your craft and goods for wholesale buyers and retail consumers alike.

Coffee, aperitivo, and wine will be served.

Vendor Contact:

If you are an interested vendor, please contact Styleforum at [email protected] with the subject line: Styleforum Maker Space 2018

Jasper’s Favorite Chunky Boots for Autumn

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I’m a boot guy. The only laced shoes I wear outside of weddings are sneakers (and even then, I wore loafers to the only two weddings I attended this summer), and if I’m not in sneakers I’m in boots. Granted, it’s less pleasant for me to stick to my guns during the Colorado summers, which regularly crest 90 degrees for months on end, and getting to slip back into my favorites is one of many reasons I love dressing in autumn and winter. These days, my tastes are running to chunkier silhouettes, and I’ve largely phased out my collection of sleek side-zip models, and with that in mind I hope here’s a selection of some of the chunky boots I’ve both enjoyed wearing and looking at online, ready for adoption into your autumn wardrobe.

Combat boots

Most combat boots that high street brands release still tend towards the dainty, and while a sleek silhouette can be nice, I think it often comes at the expense of character. I’ve been very happy with the pair of Visvim 7-Hole ’73 combat boots I bought a couple of months ago. Despite the hefty shape, they’re very lightweight, and the addition of a side-zip appeases my lazy side (it also makes them just fine to wear in an airport). Visvim has done several iterations of this boot, and past releases have sported commando soles instead. It also comes in three colors: the black, shown below, brown and khaki, and black and olive. The price of a pair of these boots is fairly high (though you can, as I did, find ways to score a deal), and in combination with the somewhat distinctive styling they’re certainly not for everyone.

To me, that’s part of the charm. It’s easy to end up with a giant shoe wardrobe with no variation in it – for example, owning 5+ pairs of near-identical side-zip boots (guilty) allows you to swap out your pairs depending on your mood, but it’s not particularly interesting. These days, I much prefer to reach into my closet for something that’s more distinctive, as it lets me change up silhouettes more than the alternative. Take, for example, these admittedly absurd Feit combat boots – they’re something of a hybrid shoe that, despite their bulk, nonetheless seems possible to work into an outfit built around a tweed or flannel trouser. Nonnative’s recurring ‘Wanderer‘ boot offers similar styling to the Visvim model, but it’s a bit too 1:1 for my tastes. Of course, if you’re after something sleek that’s a surer bet for classic and classic-casual wardrobes, I’ve always thought that Carmina’s ‘Jumper‘ boots seemed attractive.

best chunky autumn boots styleforum

Visvim boots shown with Monitaly x SF mountain parka and Niche patchwork jeans.

 

Chelsea boots

I’m not really a chelsea boot person, and that’s mostly because I’ve never loved the rocker/mod aesthetic, especially as it’s been presented in recent years. I’ve also never been certain of how I feel about an elastic gore which, despite my love of easy to put on shoes, I’ve always found a touch off-putting. Recently, this has changed somewhat, largely because I’ve taken the time to look at different silhouettes. Takes such as those offered by Common Projects and YSL have never held much appeal for me, but once again, expanding my world a bit has revealed some attractive options.

On the more affordable end of the spectrum, you’ll find boots such as the Clark’s Clarkdale Gobi. I purchased these on a whim about a month ago, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve worn them. They’re a good middle-ground in terms of silhouette, and crepe soles remain comfortable. The problem, of course, is that they don’t do great when the temperature plummets, and really aren’t wearable in the snow. Even so, the lower price makes them an easy pair to test out.

 

best chunky autumn boots styleforum

Gobi boots shown with Kapital Century denim and a vintage chore jacket

If you’re looking for a longer-lasting, leather-soled model, you’ve probably already been sent in the direction of RM Williams boots. I’ve been keeping an eye on these for the better part of this last year, and there are two different models that have retained my interest: the very classic Comfort Craftsman and the Yearling, both of which are wholecuts, but which have very different silhouettes thanks in large part to the height of their respective heel. While the ‘Gardener’ model is a bit too blobby for my tastes, I appreciate the relative heftiness of the silhouettes on offer. If you, like me, are a fan of Western and Western-inspired footwear, there are a few models – such as the  – that, especially for an American, offer a wearable twist on Western wear. Sporting a pair of cowboy boots really takes some commitment (more on that later), and it’s a world I haven’t quite dived into yet, but RMW’s designs are perhaps a bit more forgiving than a full-on croc boot.

Another option that has caught my eye recently is Viberg’s chelsea boot. They’re not brand new this fall, but they offer – as does RMW – a heavier take on the chelsea. As is the case with most Viberg models, you can find it with a variety of leather and sole options, and if you want a workboot that you do’t have to lace yourself into, this is an attractive – and long-wearing – possibility.

 

 

 

 

Work Boots

By now, I’d be surprised if any forum member hasn’t heard of Viberg, and they’re still a go-to for heavy workboot styles. Every season, you can find a huge range of models at Viberg’s many retailers, but right now the makeup I have my eye on is this Scout Boot that Viberg is selling through its own webstore. Perhaps that’s because it’s fairly similar to the other boot I’ve had my eye on, which is Visvim’s now-venerable Virgil. Unfortunately, my feet don’t seem to play nicely with the Virgil’s last shape, and Viberg models lack the lightweight, sneakerboot feel of Visvim’s footwear, which is part of what makes the latter so appealing to me. New webstore Miloh Shop is also offering what I think is a pretty handsome ‘Triple Black‘ makeup that would work well with olive chinos, among other things.

If that’s not your style, you might prefer Alden’s classic moc- and plain-toe models, but I feel I hardly need to mention them here. One budget option is Timberland, a brand my cousin (a field researcher) swears by, so if you want something that might actually keep your feet dry and warm this winter they’re not a bad bet. This fall, both Nonnative and Sophnet have done a Gore-Tex and an all-black zipper-finished model, respectively, and I have to say – both look really good. Unfortunately, if you have large feet, you’re probably SOL.

 

Western boots

As mentioned earlier, I haven’t quite had the courage to dip my toes into a true Western (read: cowboy) boot – there’s a lot of cultural baggage for me there, and I am endlessly undecided as to whether I think I’d actually wear a pair. Even so, there are some boots out there I think are undeniably cool, and there are others that are likely a bit more accessible in terms of shape. If you’re interested in a true-blue cowboy boot, I think that Heritage Boot Co. is making some designs worth your while. They’re far more interesting than most designs you’ll find from big makers like Lucchese, and from what I’ve read they’re made to a much higher standard as well. My only experience with Lucchese resulted in two returns do to two separate QC issues, and plenty of boot people on the internet reckon that Heritage Boot is making some of the nicest boots on the market, especially considering what they’re asking for them. A few stand out to me in particular; their basic black ‘Apache,’ the French-toed ‘Ranch hand,’ and the exotic ‘Stingray.’ The first two options seem the like relatively low-risk and low-effort ways to give a boot like this a shot, while the stingray boot requires a step up in commitment. Some of the inlaid models are worth a look as well, although I imagine most people would find them a little harder to work into a regular rotation.

On the shallower end of the pool you can also find models such as the Lucchese Shane and Cannon, both of which are available via Huckberry. Both are roper-style boots with an un-embellished shaft and a rounded toe; obviously at home with denim, but potential options for textured trousers as well. At under 400$, the ‘Shane’ strikes me as a sensible entry-level attempt, especially given Huckberry’s easy return policy – I’ve seen the same model available through Amazon before as well, though you’ll have to check the shipping and return terms on your own. The Lucchese Jonah was also briefly popular on the streetwear side of the forum, and is a much, much easier boot to work into a variety of wardrobes. It’s a pricier zip roper, with a hefty sole and a slightly wider shaft that accommodates a straighter-leg jean or trouser. Unfortunately, I’m one of several people who, as mentioned, had some issues with QC, so if you’re interested in these boots make sure that you have the option to exchange or return.

 

 

 

@Baron’s Take on ‘Tailored Contemporary Casual’

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baron elevated basics tailored contemporary casual styleforum

It’s rare that long-time member @Baron posts a photo in our WAYWT threads, but in this case the quality makes up for the infrequency. I love outfits like these that blend contemporary brands with a sharper, tailored look; all the more impressive considering the cut of the oversized shirt worn as outerwear. I suppose I could go on, and refer to a style like this as ‘tailored contemporary casual’ in true internet speak, but instead I’ll leave @Baron to tell us more about what he’s wearing:

I bought the shirt and trousers from NMWA. I’m a big fan of the store and their whole aesthetic, especially the Japanese and Korean brands. I mentioned in my WAYWT post that I took inspiration from the recent editorial they published, styled by Antonio from Eidos. That shoot was in my sweet spot. I realized I could do a few of those looks with things already in my closet. Some new, some old or vintage.

I’ve bought several pieces from the store over the years – I try to find things that are versatile and easy to wear in a variety of contexts. Elevated basics, I guess, to use a #menswear cliche. The shirt is a band collar flannel from Document. The fabric is unusually dense and textural for flannel, and the band collar is in a heavy oxford cloth. The pants are from Scye, pleated and slightly cropped, in a slubby olive cotton. I really love the pants – they’re “overbuilt” with a few unusual details. Scye seems to be influenced by traditional English tailoring, from what I can gather online, and you can see that influence in the waistband and fly construction.

The over-shirt is from this season’s Uniqlo U/Lemaire collection. I’ve picked up things from this collection for a few seasons running now. This shirt didn’t catch my eye online, but I saw it in store and I really liked the boxy cut, the heavy flannel and deep indigo color, the interior pockets. The shoes are Loake Camdens. They’re desert boots, more or less, which I’ve been wearing since I was a kid, but they have the structure and welt of a regular English dress shoe.

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A Talk with Ian Segal of Nine Lives Clothing

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If you haven’t heard of Tokyo-based brand Nine Lives clothing, you’ve been missing out. Their line of high quality denim, cutsews, and heavy outerwear is produced in Japan, and combines the quality and material know-how of a heritage brand with the razor-sharp edge of Japan’s v-kei and mod scene; all of it seen through 9L’s particular, ‘piratical’ lens. If you’ve been looking for a new rider’s jacket, a sashiko-embellished varsity-jacket-turned-chesterfield, or beautifully realized jacquard-weave flannel shirts, you’ve come to the right place.

I spoke to Ian Segal, who’s approximately one half – the American half – of the operation, and asked him about the brand, about his clothing, and about how he went from being a poetry editor in New York to making rock ‘n roll clothes on the other side of the world. 

Jasper Lipton:  How did you end up in Japan in the first place, after working as – correct me if I’m wrong – a poetry editor for the New Yorker? Which is also awesome.

Ian Segal: It was fun. Yeah, I always say I was a Lehman Shock baby. I graduated into the maelstrom there, and I took a consulting job in LA to get home – my dad was sick, so I wanted to be close to home. When the market looked like it was turning, I headed back East, as that was still where it seemed I had to be to build a career. I was making electric guitars – shittily, I might add – in my girlfriend’s basement in central New Jersey while I was applying for jobs, and in the same week I ended up interviewing at the distressed debt desk at Merril Lynch and the assistant poetry editor position at the magazine. While I was in the Merril interview – and mind you these buildings were directly adjacent to each other; Condé Nast was in what’s now the H&M building. So the same week, I go in for these diametrically opposed job interviews, and the Volcker rule was announced while I was doing the Merril Lynch interview, which more or less iced the job opening.

I mean, I was happy to have Obama win the Presidency, but he was sort of surreally speaking through the television while I’m in the middle of the interview, and everyone was sitting there a little dumbstruck as to what we were all still doing having the conversation. So I ended up at the new Yorker, and that was really fun – did it for about a year and a half and met basically all the people I wanted to meet, in terms of meeting all my heroes. It was an honor to do it. But I was young – I was 25, maybe, and I’d have these experiences where I’d go to parties and people would be like “Oh, you’re the New Yorker guy,” and I was like “No, I’m Ian.” Have you done any New York living?

JL: I’ve been around a little bit, yeah.

ian segal nine lives clothing styleforum nine lives brand

Kotaro and Ian of Nine Lives

IS: The thing about New York, in contrast to LA – and this is an LA partisan thing to say – is that New York is a renter’s city, and LA is a homesteader’s city. There’s this idea in New York that there are all these great jobs, all this great opportunity, but there’s always a line of 100 people to jump into that position behind you. You’re still a cog – you’re maybe a beautiful cog, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be a cog in that industry, but nevertheless you’re a cog. Whereas to me, LA still has a little bit of the – you can go and build your own fuckin’ life.

So anyway, after about a year and a half at the New Yorker I realized that everybody was either only there for a year and a half or two, or they were lifers. And it’s one thing to be a lifer there if you’re coming in as a journalist and you’re 35, and you’re like, “This is it, pinnacle of journalism, I’m gonna do this,” but the idea that you’re gonna be a lifer as a poetry editor is sort of an oxymoron to begin with, and I just was like…I just needed to do my own shit.

So very randomly I was given a job doing real estate, like, asset management and finance stuff in Tokyo – that was 2011 – so then I came over here, and I was doing that for a little while. It wasn’t a very good gig, but I didn’t really have enough money to get home, and I didn’t really want to come home with my tail between my legs just totally flamed out on something. So I was just in a holding pattern.

I went out to dinner with an acquaintance of mine, who I’d met through Josh Warner, of Good Art Hollywood; he was a Japanese designer and we went for drinks, and he was asking what he could do to do a little better in the States, and in the West. We were a little tipsy, and I was like, “Here’s an idea for a brand, here’s what you have to do,” because I thought he was a good designer and that the product he was making was really nice, it was just – very Japanese. Very Tokyo mod. And you know, I’m a half-Irish, half-Jewish kid from LA, so sarcasm’s my first language, and Japan’s a very earnest country that doesn’t really understand sarcasm, so he was just like “Great! Let’s do it!” and I said “Great!” and the next day I had pretty much forgotten about it, and he was like “Oh, I’ve opened an account and we have production meetings next week.”

[Laughs]

IS: Yeah, so I just said ‘Fuck it.’

JL: Nice.

IS: Yeah, and that’s it. That was 2015. And this guy, he was doing his own brand called ‘Cruce,’ and it was very – well, it was connected to the visual kei world, right? So I met this guy originally through Josh, but it was actually through Die, from Dir en Grey, that I actually ended up following him, so Die was a sort of a casual acquaintance of mine, and Die wore a lot of this guy’s brand. I saw him posting about it on some – I don’t know – but I was like ‘Oh, I’ll go take a look.’

JL: That’s kinda wild. Were you, like, a clothing guy beforehand? I feel like landing in Tokyo, and then your first interaction with the clothing business is some guy’s visual kei brand, that might be kind of overwhelming.

IS: Yeah. So, my cousin, when I was younger, owned a clothing company. And so when I was in middle school, without really knowing it, there was a lot of osmotic exposure to clothing, because we’d just go and hang out, and I just ended up spending hours walking the racks. I mean, I didn’t pay heed at the time – I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything that lasted – but what did last was that my cousin became very good friends with Josh Warner of Good Art, and so it was through my cousin that I ended up becoming very close with Josh, and it was through Josh that I met Kotaro. So that’s the whole daisy chain.

JL: So, Good Art seems much more in line with what Nine Lives is, currently.

IS: Yeah, I mean, that’s certainly got to be a part of it; it’s gotta be partially the air we breathe, and partially because I’ve known Josh since I was, what, fourteen or something. He’s family now. One thing I’ll say is that Nine Lives as a name was actually partially inspired by Good Art – I love Good Art as a name because of its vacuity.

JL: Right.

IS: And I mean I tell this to Josh, I love it because it’s so empty. It’s almost a meaningless shell that you have to backfill – this is the product and this is what it is – and that informed picking ‘Nine Lives,’ because Nine Lives is kind of a generic name. I’m sure that there are a thousand brands and, y’know, projects in the universe – not to mention, apparently, a terrible movie a couple of years ago –

JL: Yeah, that comes up a lot on Google.

IS: Nine Lives, it’s a cliché. And it was picked slightly for that reason – I liked the idea of picking something that, y’know, it’s not that it sounds bad, it’s fine; it has on a literal level a sense of the varied life and various energies that are being brought to the project, but in a sort of literal sense is trite, and is not that memorable, and people have to focus on product and have to actually see what it is for that name to take on life and take on meaning.

That’s actually a terrible business decision. I don’t know that any marketing MBA would tell you that was the right move. But that’s probably where I share DNA with Josh; a little bit of the punk rock, fuck you, I’m not gonna do it by your rules.

ian segal nine lives clothing styleforum nine lives brand

JL: ‘Zen as fuck,’ I think your website says, which also seems like an oxymoron. There’s also something a little bit of Baudelaire, of the flaneur, especially when you link it to clothing – but then it’s, like, a cat thing, and you guys are into coyotes. So where do the coyotes come from?

IS: So that’s one of the funny things. Yeah, I like animals – I mean, cats are fine. But Kotaro and I are very much dog people, and we basically started the whole project and were eventually, like, “Ehhh, I don’t know, we’re not the ‘cat guys,’ we gotta push against that.” So I thought, okay, what’s a really weird, cracked thing? And I said, “Coyotes have nine lives.” And that’s – we had a dog living with us that wandered in off the street when I was eleven, and was with us until he died twelve years later, and the legend was that he was half coyote. He certainly looked it. He was a feral, noble, prince of a mutt.

It sort of dovetails, because I have one line of poetry that’s sort of deliberately a purple prose line, and it says ‘Glinting mongrel in a dying land,’ and we ran with that line, and have adopted the coyote. You’ll see it a little more – this winter, we’re doing a little more Americana, whereas last spring was this pop horror, Lovecraftian Jurassic Park response to the Trump. This collection is a little bit more going into shadow country, and doing some more mod Americana.

I don’t love putting our brand name on stuff, and that sort of speaks to the ‘Zen as fuck’ line; y’know, even when stuff is more pugilistic and strong, I still hope that there’s a certain degree of minimalism, and it’s obviously not that branded – and we’re not really making money by selling a brand. So there’s an essentialism to it, and because of that I always feel funny making a t-shirt that actually says ‘Nine Lives.’ We did it that first time, because we just kind of didn’t know what we were doing, and now we’ve finally managed to be making a full collection where we’re excited about everything – from the crazy outerwear down to the t-shirts – we feel like we’ve hit our stride. In that context, well, okay, we still want to do some printed t-shirts, we want to do a remake of a 70’s nylon Kawasaki long-sleeve jersey. And it can’t say “Kawasaki,” so we won’t put that on there, but I don’t want it to say Nine Lives, so we’re gonna use ‘mongrel.’ So that’s what we’re using in place of the brand name when we want to do text.

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Incorporating Vintage Menswear Silhouettes

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After my last article detailing the differences of suit silhouettes from past eras, I thought that it would be helpful to offer some advice on how to mix pieces from different eras and incorporate vintage menswear silhouettes into your wardrobe. It’s something that I’ve done for the past few years as a lot of my wardrobe was thrifted, found on eBay, or purchased from a vintage store.  Be sure to look at my guide to thrifting as well!

The first thing that I take a look at are the shoulders, which in turn usually points toward the structure of a jacket.  Each era of menswear has a different treatment of a shoulder, which corresponds directly to the overall silhouette. Broad, padded shoulders usually requires a wider, fuller pant leg while natural, narrow shoulders can work with a slim trouser.  Interestingly enough, this reflects the 30’s and the 60’s respectively as well as contemporary tailoring styles around the world.  You wouldn’t wear a structured British jacket with a slim chinos, would you?  Probably not.  It just so happens that soft jacketing is how tailoring has moved in recent time, so anything soft or unstructured (from the 1960s especially) would definitely work well today.  

The next thing I look at is length and buttoning point.  Like shoulders, each era had their own treatment too.  Typically jackets with a “classic buttoning point” (with the last button on the pocket line) lead to a classic and versatile proportions.  Jackets that have a low buttoning point usually have a longer body and will look much more dated.  Suits and jackets from the 1930’s and 1960’s are the best and creating this aesthetic and can be worn with most contemporary pieces, while other “bold eras” like the 1940s-50s and the 1970-90s are much too out of place.  Obviously 1920’s and earlier jackets were designed to be slightly edwardian and have an exceedingly antiquated look to apply today.  

Fabric also plays an important part.  It’s important to remember that looming technology has changed significantly since the 1920’s, which is why older vintage clothing has a certain weight and texture to it when compared to contemporary fabrics.  To make them work today, I find that it’s best to combine vintage garments with similarly weighted and textured garments like flannels, tweeds, and brushed cottons.  Try to avoid novelty fabrics like sharkskin, since they’re hard to pair.  Personally, I find that most vintage garments looks quite odd when worn with super fine worsteds. Patterns will definitely play a part, as old fabrics will usually have some heavy striping or checks, so it’s best not to over do it.  Grey flannel trousers will usually be your best friend when wearing a vintage jackets, though creams, navy blues, and browns can help too.

Lastly, the main way to pull off vintage garments is to style them classically.  Usually the jacket (or suit) is the star of the outfit, so it’s best to keep everything else toned down.  Resist the urge to “complete” the vintage look with bowties or skinny 60’s ties.  Wearing normal striped shirts with repps and foulards is what I always recommend to people, since it’s inoffensive and classic enough to not look like a costume.   Obviously you can mess around with details like collar lengths (like rolled OCBDs or long point collars) or accessories (like a collar bar/pin) but I find it best to keep things simple, especially if you don’t normally wear vintage garments.

As I’ve written before, buying vintage is not only a way to save money on a quality garment but it’s also a great method to add some statement pieces into your wardrobe. Most people avoid vintage since they assume it’s too costumey and aren’t sure how to style it.  I’d like to think that this article helps put a different spin on vintage pieces and while they are a little quirky when compared to contemporary garments, they still have a great place in a classic menswear wardrobe.  

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How to Style an Overshirt, with Erik Mannby

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how to style an overshirt styleforum erik mannby overshirt

Overshirts, or ‘shackets’ – as our friend Kyle refers to them –  are often the province of casual-wear. Leave it to Erik Mannby, friend of Styleforum and editor of Plaza Uomo, to make the garment shine in a semi-tailored context. In this case, the added length of the overshirt helps balance out the proportions of the outfit. You might call it cheating, and if we’re being honest it’s about the same length as a short jacket, but as far as I’m aware there’s no universally agreed-upon length for an overshirt, so in my mind it’s fair game. Beneath that, the outfit is a well-considered blend of autumn textures, noticeable largely because of the light colors. Many of us – myself included – gravitate towards darker tones once the days begin to grow shorter, but I like the use of the cream cardigan in particular. Also worth noting is the brown tie which, as the sole point of saturation outside the overshirt, stands out in a good way and looks very nice against the striped shirt. I find it difficult to wear shawl-collar cardigans as a mid-layer, but again, I like the way it’s done here. Erik has really mastered the slim-but-comfortable silhouette, and it’s nice to see layering that doesn’t get bulky.

We haven’t addressed the best accessory, which is of course the puppy. Experts have long known that dogs make an excellent counterpart to a good outfit, and Mr. Mannby has perhaps found the ideal complement to his autumn tones in a dark-haired companion. The sheen of the fur goes well with the overshirt, and the tiny, adorable nose adds some welcome gloss to an otherwise matte ensemble.

 

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Get Ready for Black Friday on Styleforum!

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It’s time to get ready for Black Friday! Make your spreadsheets, track your garments, and most importantly, sign up for Styleforum’s weekly newsletter to receive first notice of our massive Black Friday menswear sales guide.

Every year, we put together the internet’s largest list of Black Friday menswear sales, with coupon codes and discounts for over 200 stores and brands. It’s the single largest list of its kind, and it’s only available on Styleforum. You’ll know as soon as the list goes live, so that you can score the best menswear deals on the internet before they disappear.

Until then, make sure you’re subscribed to the Sales Alert Thread to stay up-to-date on the best menswear sales.

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What’s so Great About Tweed?

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This article originally appeared on Styleforum in 2015.

Words and pictures by Ian Anderson

I have mixed feelings about tweed. This standard-bearer for autumnal fabrics does not fill me with excitement, like it does for so many on Styleforum; rather, I can’t help but feel a bit put off by the sight of it. I could pretend that this ambivalence stems from the fabric’s rough texture, loud patterns, or stuffy Ivy-style connotations, but that would be a lie. My struggles with tweed comes from the fact that I simply can’t wear it – the weather in San Francisco is just too mild to require something so warm, and that alone fills my sunny autumns with deep pangs of jealousy.

Since I rarely enjoy tweed the traditional way – by wearing it – I find myself getting my fix in any way I can. I pore over vintage photographs, run my hands over the old tweeds in thrift stores, and watch documentaries on the history of the textile. These substitutes may not replace the real thing, but they are less sweaty than wearing tweed in the sun. Moreover, they’ve given me a lot of time to think about how I would wear tweed if I had the opportunity.

As many members of this forum will know, tweed is a woolen textile known for its hearty texture, earthen color palate, and British heritage. The fabric’s warmth, texture, and rich patterns and colors make it ideal for the cooler months. Tweed can be found in many forms – suits, hats, luggage, and more – but the quintessential item is the sportcoat. From fox hunting in Ireland to the Fall semester curriculum at Ivy League institutions, this item has become the go-to garment for tweed novices and experts alike.

What's so Great About Tweed? styleforum tweed

Tweed jackets can come in a variety of forms, but I feel that the best ones are those that stay true to their classic iteration. Flap pockets, soft shoulders, center vents, leather buttons, and so forth are all design details that suit the fabric well. As for colors and patterns, the options are extremely vast. There are classics like herringbones, twills, and donegal tweeds, as well as checks, plaids, and tartans. All of these can generally be found in an assortment of dusty browns, mossy greens, and other earthen colors. Tweed can be as bold or as muted as you’d like, so take the time to find a fabric that suits you.

Wearing a tweed jacket is not difficult – assuming the weather is cooperating – as long as it is paired with other pieces that play well alongside its heft. The safest bet is to wear tweed with other hearty or textured fabrics. For instance, a tweed sportcoat will pair wonderfully with flannel, moleskin, and even denim (although purists may disagree). With regards to footwear, the same thoughts apply – leave the chiseled oxfords in the closet, and instead reach for suede bluchers, wingtip boots, cordovan longwings, or even a Norwegian split toe if you’re feeling adventurous.

What's so Great About Tweed? styleforum tweed
Tweed and leather: a perfect cool-weather combination

When looking for an off-the rack tweed jacket, the best options are typically from the trad-leaning retailers – stores like J. Press, Brooks Brothers, Southwick, O’Connell’s, Polo Ralph Lauren, and even J. Crew typically have a few pieces to choose from every Fall season. Even so, the incredible durability of tweed and the steadfast nature of its style makes it a fantastic candidate for thrift shopping. Any solid secondhand store will likely have a hearty selection of vintage tweeds worth looking at.

If you have interest in going the custom or bespoke route, there are many British mills that produce exceptional tweeds in cut lengths. Harris Tweed from the Outer Hebrides may be the gold standard, but there are many more options available. For instance, Molloy & Sons is a small two-man operation out of Donegal, Ireland that specializes in the tweed named after the region. Other British mills like Holland & Sherry, Moon Mills, and more will always carry a robust selection. Lastly, cloth merchants like Harrison’s (which owns W. Bill, Porter & Harding, and more) will have a variety of tweeds available.

Looking ahead, I anticipate that this autumn will be as bleak as the ones before it – full of sunshine and temperatures in the low seventies. For those of you preparing to enter a season of crisp morning air and crunchy fallen leaves, don’t waste a moment of it. Hold your tweeds close and use them often. Wear them with frayed oxford cloth shirts, flannel and denim, and your favorite pair of country boots. Whether you’re planning on hunting red grouse, teaching an undergraduate course on Shakespeare, or just keeping the fall chill at bay, your tweed jacket will be an ideal companion.

Embracing The Styleforum Uniform, with @jcmeyer

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The Styleforum uniform security guard look styleforum jcmeyer

Ah, the Styleforum Uniform, affectionately (and sometimes mockingly) referred to as “The Security Guard Look.” At its core, it comprises a navy jacket and grey (or neutral) trousers, with the option of rotating a wide range of colors and styles of footwear, neckwear, jacket silhouettes, and other accoutrements. In this case, @jcmeyer has opted for a trouser that tends towards ‘oatmeal’ in coloration, which helps to take away some of the flatness that pure grey can bring to an outfit. It’s a nice touch, and offers a pleasant depth of color. The tie is a good choice as well, as it’s fall-friendly without being costume-y, and finally, take a look at that collar roll! Finished off with a pair of brown suede chukkas, this is one of the most versatile combinations you can have in your wardrobe. All that remains for you to do is nail the fit and finish of each item – easier said then done, but you can see how much of a difference it makes.

Here’s what @jcmeyer has to say about his take on the Styleforum Uniform:

“I probably do some version of the security guard every week or two. It’s especially good for a few reasons: 

  • one, it takes very little brain power to put a successful combo together with this as the base, which is especially nice now that I don’t get to sleep through the night with an infant in the next room
  • two, it’s akin to a grey or navy suit in that it’s basically invisible to people at the office – in other words you could wear it just about every day and no one would really notice
  • and three, it allows for easy, nearly infinite, variations by accommodating a wide range of ties, shoes, and shirts (collar styles too) and it also gives you the option to change the color of the trousers to oatmeal (like in the pic), tan, and even subdued patterns

As for how to make it distinct, I kinda have to dodge the question by the nature of what I said in my second point above. To me the best part about this look is that it isn’t distinct. Fit and the quality of the items/fabric is going to make you feel good about it, and maybe a few people will notice that, consciously or otherwise, but in the end the best thing is that you blend in. For those of us who wear #menswear to work, that’s actually pretty important!”

Now, the relevance of that last point will of course depend on your job and lifestyle, but I’m not sure I completely agree with @jcmeyer’s impression of the results – buddy, if you didn’t want to stand out, you shouldn’t have done such a good job.

How to Buy Direct from Japan

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By Brad Tiller

Have you ever browsed a Japanese webstore and wished you knew how to buy direct from Japan? Follow along as Brad Tiller talks you through the basics of using a ‘proxy’ service.

 

how to buy direct from japan styleforum japanese proxy zenmarket

This article first appeared on Styleforum in 2015.

Publisher’s note: Zenmarket is a Styleforum affiliate. However, this article is not sponsored, and predates that relationship. If you are interested in signing up for Zenmarket via Styleforum and get your first purchase fee free, please go here.