All aboard the blog ship.
I hate writing. Especially when I’m traveling.
I suppose I ought to enjoy the solitude it affords me, but I really just prefer talking to people.
With that in mind, I went out to The W in Austin last night and met some people. Nothing unusual happened, but we had a brief discussion about a few things that incited the phrase “You should post a blog about that!”
Shit.
That being said (literally), I think I’ll use my post-evening early wakeup to fill out the discussions had last night and bring them to the public eye. The first of which was The 5 Most Important Elements Of My Wardrobe: Summer Edition. Let’s have no further ado. In no particular order…
Ballymoor Navy Blazer (Thrift store edition)
Fiesty Polo Match featuring Navy Blazer and Madras Pants
Yes, that’s right Macklemore fans, I am a freQUENTer of the local thrift stores and this purchase is high on my list of amazing finds. Made of pure New Wool and labeled as a 40R, this Polish blazer was clearly tailored for someone that just happened to be my size. Skipping the opportunity beating your ear to death regarding the almost fantastical off-the-rack fit, I’ll move on to the benefits of the garment.
For anyone that knows anything about New England, it’s very clear how important a Navy Blazer is. It’s the most versatile and important piece in any lobster-eater’s wardrobe, plainly put, and can be dressed up or down with just a turn of the sartorial chart. This blazer is not just any jacket for me, though. Having brought it all over the world, it’s suffered it’s scrapes and bruises and I love it all the more because of them. This commonly two-button front has only one button. Why, you may ask? Because the second popped off on a packed subway car in Rome on the way to Fiumincino airport and I didn’t know enough Italian then (or now) to ask someone to hold on to my unsurprisingly mountainous pile of luggage to give me free hands to reach under a bitter accordion player. Call it sprezzatura or call it laziness, but I’ve kept the one-button look ever since.
I’ve worn it in Paris to see the Eiffel tower, I’ve worn it in Barcelona to… well… be drunk… and to this day, this blazer remains my number one.
Brooks Brothers Madras Patchwork Pants (Stare at my crotch edition)
Classic BB Patchwork Madras
Coincidentally, the above picture includes a few of my other summer essentials, as well, Madras Pants from Brooks Brothers being one of the others. These “Hey, FUCK YOU” pants are my favorite. Not only are they incredibly comfortable, but they have just the right amount of style, history, and attention-getting ability to knock anyone that doubts your sartorial handling into submission. I’ve linked to the Milano fit (the slimmer end of BB), though the ones I own are Clark fit. I wear these high on my waist like an old man for additional New England flair, but I recognize that may not be your style. I encourage you to head over to your local Brooks and find out what works for you.
Again, these can be worn dressed up with a blazer or dressed down with a polo and will always make a splash.
John B Stetson Panama Hat in 7 3/8 (Replacement-for-ditch-loss edition)
Stetson Panama for all your drug-lording needs
Here’s a cool tidbit of information; John Batterson Stetson (son of a hatter) finds out he’s got TB and says “Fuck it! I’m going to be a cowboy” and screws off into the American West (this is in the 1860’s, mind you, so cowboys are just coming into their ultimate awesomeness). It’s out in the wild west (literally) that he meets these incredible coonskin Davy Crockett types which inspire him to invent what we now know today as the modern cowboy hat. That shit is awesome.
Though, my panama is not a cowboy hat, most of you know I love to have a history to the things I wear, so it’s with that in mind that I lovingly embrace the Stetson company for all my panama needs. The hat pictured is my newest addition (as my last hat -seen in the madras and navy blazer picture – ended up in a ditch somewhere), and I’ve linked to the exact model here. It’s a Breakers in 81 Natural with a replacement band stuck right on top of the original black band (so I can keep the brown one on, or remove it to reveal the black band in more serious moments).
I could wax poetic forever about my love for straw hats, but I’ll save you the discourse. Get one.
Sperry Top-Sider (Of any variety)
Invaluable Canvas Sperry with Weird Laces
Holy crap how difficult it would be for me to lead a casual summer life in New England without a reliable pair of boat shoes. For the last 3 years I relied on a pair of canvas Aldo boat shoes that I wore to death (until they simply stank more than I will allow anything in my life to). It was with the coming of 2013’s summer that I went to the real, live Sperry store and picked up a pair of the original canvas boat shoes. I REALLY liked the croc boat shoe, but the store didn’t have them in, so I settled for a reliable pair of the canvas to please mine eye.
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These shoes are an irreplaceable element of summer style and it’s hard to find me in anything other than Sperry’s when I’m not in a suit.
As always, I’ve had to customize them by removing the (what I feel are) really strangely paired brown laces and replacing them with white (the Sperry store has replacements you can pick up right in-store) for a more matchy-matchy-dandy look.
While I consider these shoes to be an essential, BE WARNED that they take a considerable period of time to break in, so don’t just buy a pair and go to Vegas with two students expecting them to be comfortable while you walk around all day listening to their conversations with girls, YOU STUPID PLAYBOY.
Brooks Brothers Unstructured Double-Breasted Seersucker Jacket (Huge-frigging-discount edition)
Oh, no big deal, just killin it.
So, I’m taking my little cousin (14) into Brooks Brothers to buy him some ties for his upcoming middle school formal because he’s a boss and you have to start them early, WHEN WHAT TO MY WONDERING EYES DID APPEAR but one incredibly serendipitous unstructured double-breasted whatever, you read the title. But, here’s the kicker: It was on the 70% discount rack and it was THE ONLY ONE. IN MY SIZE. 40R. HOLY CRAP. Needless to say, I purchased it for $89 and was so excited that I left my cousin in the store and was halfway home before I noticed.
I should go back and get him.
But in all seriousness, while not as versatile as the navy blazer, it is primo daywear in terms of having something to throw on and look like a million bucks. In the picture, I’m wearing naught but white Old Navy jeans, a spread-collar dress shirt from Serbia of nondescript make, and the aforementioned Sperry’s, but this jacket has a way of meaning business to the Nth degree. Add to it a $10 silk handkerchief from the Tie Bar in Heathrow airport and you’ve got yourself an outfit that will make all the ladies politely say “Is this seat taken?”
Edit: That pocketsquare is a red and white gingham from Brooks Brothers. My apologies.
Anyhow, that’s them. These are the things that are filling out my wardrobe this summer in an indispensable way. Hopefully, you’ll find something new to add to your collection, even if it’s just information.
Hope this helps,
-GRMJ
