In Search of the Everyday Jeans

I have quite a bit of denim in my closet, but still felt like I was missing that pair of everyday "go-to" jeans.  My preference was rigid, selvedge jeans in a standard fit (no low-rise) with a price tag around $200. I tried a lot of options (Raleigh Denim, Tellason, Jean Shop, etc...).  While these were all beautifully handcrafted jeans, none really worked for me. Just as I was losing hope, I dropped into UNIONMADE on Sanchez.  Owner Todd Barket directed me to the Levis Vintage 1947 501s.  As soon as I put them on I knew they were the ones - the perfect everyday jean.  Gorgeous White Oak denim from Cone Mills, a neutral, old-school fit and beautiful contrast stitching. $220.  I have pretty much lived in these bad boys ever since.  If you're looking for jeans (or any everyday clothing for that matter), do yourself a favor and check out UNIONMADE.

Tame Impala

Liking the new album "Innerspeaker" from Aussie band Tame Impala.  Reminds me of Revolver-era Beatles.  Check out the strange and entertaining video for "Solitude is Bliss."

Slimmer Down

Sorry that's pretty bad.  Anyways... I recently switched out my wallet for this J. Crew Cardholder.   No more bulky wallet.   Streamline.  Cut the fat.  Etc, etc...

Spring Sale is on at Barneys

And as always, it  looks like there are good deals to be had.  Some items that caught my eye were these jeans from the North Caroloina-based, husband and wife team at Raleigh Denim, this Pea Coat from Rag & Bone, this t-shirt from Rogues Gallery, and these boots from Fiorentini + Baker.  Like Neiman and Saks, Barneys initially discounts items 30-40%.  As the sales progresses, prices continue to drop as they clear inventory to make room for the Fall collections.  Near the end of the sale you can often find items discounted over 70%.  The conundrum is do you hold out until then and risk having the item sell out?  Decisions, decisions... 
Barneys is located at 77 O'Farrell Street, just off Union Square.

South of the Border...

Geck is off to Puerta Vallarta on Friday for our friends Kacey and Matt's wedding.  Kacey has requested the most interesting man alive serenade the couple at the reception.  Needed a fitting look.  Considered the Ludlow Cotton Khaki Suit but opted for a more laid-back, yet still stylish approach. With help from J. Crew Personal Shopper Lily Lysle, Tom walked away with a pair of slim-fit khakis, a great madras shirt and a chambray shirt that, to my surprise, worked perfectly with said khakis (thanks Lily).  Tied it all together with a pair of brick sole suede bucks from Nordstrom Rack.  The Troubadour is good to go.

Have fun Geck and congrats Kacey and Matt.

Beautiful and Stylish Women

Another amazing Jake Davis Test Shot

Uncomfortable Hunk of Metal

Classic Land Rover shot at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Can't think of a better way to haul a couple of single fins. 

Prepping out the Watch: NATO Strap

Sometimes small changes can make a big difference. Inspired by the colorful watch straps I've been seeing on various blogs, I decided to prep out my Glycine Incursore (my beater watch as evidenced by the water-damaged dial).  Found this NATO strap on eBay for $10.  I like it.  As an added bonus, the 60's rubber Tropic strap previously on the Glycine looks great on another beater watch that I haven't worn for years.  Two new watch options for the price of a couple of lattes.

Endorsement: Baxter of California

A few weeks back, I sang the praises of Baxter of California's Shave Formula.  This product is so good, it's inspired me to rethink my whole shave routine.  I've started using a Badger brush (an old J.Peterman purchase that's been sitting in my medicine cabinet for at least 10 years).  The combination of the brush and the shave formula provides a super close shave with little-to-no irritation.  I'm getting into the shaving ritual so much that I'm thinking about trading in my Gillette cartridge blade for the classic Double-Edge Safety Razor.  Also picked up Baxter's After Shave Balm and Oil Free Moisturizer.  Found them to be great, no-nonsense products.  Baxter's stuff is reasonably priced (compared to say, Kiehl's) and I dig the old-school, barber shop packaging.  Next time I'm in L.A., I plan on checking out the recently opened and very cool looking Baxter Finley, Barber and Shop.
Baxter of California is available at UNIONMADE.

Shop Locally

Stormy Monday.  Didn't feel much like draggin' my wet ass into retail-land, but was in the Lower Haight so I figured I'd check out Revolver.  Was glad I made the trip.  Besides getting to check out a very cool store, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of lads who really know their denim.
Revolver's proprietor, Robert Patterson is the type of laid back guy who's unassuming attitude belies a passion for clothing, art and other things cool. I like his blog almost as much as his store - especially the entry on California surfer/photographer Ryan Tatar. Robert saw me eyeing the denim and after pointing out some nuances in the Denham and Tellason lines, had me trying on some truly great jeans.  Coming out of the dressing room (with the Denham's on -doh!), Robert introduced me to Tony Patella, owner of San Francisco-based Tellason Denim.  Tony is incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic when it comes to denim. He talked to me for a good 20 minutes without ever promoting his company's product or coming off as "cooler than thou."
Two things I took away from our conversation:  (1) There's something satisfying about buying from a maker obsessed with quality and, (2) There are are a number of reasons (not all obvious) to buy clothing made in the good ol' USA.  As Tony explained, "99.9%" of Tellason denim is made in America (denim from Cone Mills in Greensboro, N.C.,  leather patch from Portland's Tanner Goods, jeans sewn here in San Francisco).  Tony's motivation for manufacturing in San Francisco is as much pragmatic as patriotic.  Having made millions of jeans in China and Mexico in a previous life, he likes the fact that when a manufacturing issue arises,  he can bike down to Tellason's plant in SOMA (instead of getting on a plane) to get things sorted out.  So "Made in the USA" can actually make good business sense - what a novel concept!  Above all, Tellason is focused on providing quality denim at a reasonable price (caveat: I consider 200 bucks for a pair of jeans reasonable, since jeans like Tellason's will easily stand up to a couple hundred wearings).  Tony says it best in an interview with ACL:  "A consumer, for whatever reason, may not like our jeans, but there is no way they can criticize the fabric and sewing. As a brand, that’s all you can do. We’re really into authenticity every step of the way."   Good stuff.  Not incidentally, the fit was great and designed for pretty much every body type.
Thank you Robert and Tony for the education - I'll be back for a pair of Tellasons once I get paid...

Don't Feed the Hipsters

Had a good laugh watching "The Office" the other night. In the opening scene, Kelly suggests that Michael's new girlfriend Donna may be cheating on him, as Donna is using some of Ryan's old tricks.
Kelly: "Oh my god this is super weird - when Ryan had two girlfriends, he used to take me to some diner in Hazleton just so the other girl wouldn't see us."
Ryan: "Some diner? It was the Starlight Diner - it's, it's in a Life Magazine spread about Americana!"

To those of you who don't watch the show,  Ryan is a walking cliche of changing personas - none of which are likable.  Until his demise (coke problem, fraud conviction, etc...) he was Dunder Miflin's young corporate hotshot - and an complete a-hole .  He's the guy who brags about hooking up with a girl "who looked like the girl on Survivor." Post community service and sobriety, Ryan reinvents himself as  a disaffected hipster.  "Ryan 2.0" is a photographer (check out his blog!) and fashionista. His colossal ego in tact, he needs everyone to recognize how cool he is precisely because he doesn't care what people think.  The Armani suit and "$200 haircut" is replaced by a hipster uniform: clear glasses, plaid shirt, skinny tie and cardigan.  He even grows a ridiculous beard.  In one episode he wears a trilby but won't say where he got it. Perfect.
So it seems the backlash against phony hipsterism has spilled into popular media.  I guess it was inevitable. In an age with a website solely dedicated to a discussion on breaking in your selvedge denim, it may be high time the hipster was called to the mat!

Gant Rugger Madras Shirts

Found these great looking madras shirts from Gant Rugger (Gant's heritage line) at Azalea in Hayes Valley.  A little more expensive than similar offerings from J. Crew and Brooks Brothers but was glad to shell out a little more for a better fit. 

Rock Style from London and Beyond

All images plucked from the awesome Snap Galleries

Brick Soul

Red brick soled shoes are all the rage at the moment.  After checking out the Mark McNairys at UNIONMADE, I was determined to get me some.  However I didn't want to spend 300 bones.  Found a nice substitute with these Cole Haan dirty bucks at Nordstrom Rack for less than 100 bucks.

Played Out?: Oversized Watches

 

Panerai, the heavyweight champ of big, military-inspired timepieces, is introducing a 42mm version of the Panerai Radomir, featuring a slimmed-down (11.5mm) case.  This is interesting news and I wonder if it may sound the death bell for comically large watches. 

I've always appreciated large watches (especially chronos and divers), but somewhere this trend got out of hand.  Watchmakers (especially those without any design ethic) started ascribing to the formula that bigger was always better.  The over-sized watch became the accessory equivalent of an SUV with tinted-windows and 22-inch rims.  Like drunk frat boys, these massive timepieces demanded your attention. Unfortunately, the size of many of these watches only served to accentuate their ugliness. 

Sadly, the functional advantages of large watches have been lost amongst all this ostentatiousness. The large, no-nonsense design of military watches were essentially functional - you needed to be able to quickly access your time situation when navigating a B-52 through German anti-aircraft fire or attaching explosives to a submarine in murky waters.  But what I beg you, is the functional benefit of a diamond encrusted 48mm Jacob & Co - besides maybe all that ice blinding a paparazzo? To a lesser extent, there is something silly about an investment banker rocking a Panerai that won't fit under his shirt sleeve.

So I'm pleased to see the return of more restrained timepieces.  My theory is that Madmen has played a part in this trend. The show's jet-age aesthetic is best captured by Don' Draper's perfectly-fitted grey suit, crisp white shirt, slim tie, pocket square and understated Longines watch.  If I had the scratch, I'd buy the Glashutte Senator Sixties which is a wonderful interpretation of 1960's design.  In the meantime, I'll have to be satisfied with my Omega Aqua Terra - though I'm planning on switching out the metal band for a crocodile strap in the very near future.

Downtown

Where to Shop San Francisco: Barneys New York

San Francisco has always left something to be desired when it comes to men's shopping.  Things got much better when Barneys New York opened its San Francisco store in 2007.  Barneys simply blows away other department stores when it comes to every day clothes.   Neiman Marcus completely misses the mark on men's casual clothing. Saks' sportswear is boring  while the "designer sportswear" is too fashionista for my tastes.  Bloomingdales is decent (men's shoes being a strong point), but the salespeople often seem to have no clue.  On a recent visit, responses to my inquiries about a certain designer ranged from dumbfounded to annoyed.
Barneys, on the other hand, gets it.   Among the usual suspects, Barney's carries lines that I can't find anywhere else in the City - Steven Alan, Gant Ruger, Band of Outsiders and Naked and Famous denim to name a few.  The space is stylish and relaxed. Barneys' salespeople are incredibly knowledgeable without being pretentious.  Finally, there are great sales (I believe the next one is in late May - I'll keep you posted).