all about rolling your pant legs up

my stuff

By jon | Published: March 9, 2010

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The weather has been pretty great these past few days. Not warm exactly, but certainly not cold at all. I know it’s going to drop down again, but I  had to take advantage while it lasted.

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I picked this shirt up from UrbanOutfitters a while back. It’s pretty decent considering the price point. Buttoned all the way up. It’s not that warm out yet.

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This hat is probably my favorite acquisition from Osaka. Sweatshirt jersey makes anything better right? Soft, warm, and extra comfortable, I’ve worn this hat almost every day since I got it. I found it in a random hat store by the main train station in Osaka.

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These Woolrich Woolen Mills pants are easily my favorite chinos. It took a little time for me to warm up to the front cargo pocket. (Really all  it took was a Gilt sale.)  But now I quite like them. Plus you can carry a ton of crap in those pockets.

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The key to a good cargo is the fit. The WWM fit is amazing. Slim without being tight. The weight of the cotton also makes these pants perfect for all seasons. I feel like there’s a slight taper to the leg, which I think works well and pairs with everything from a wallabee to these warriors sneakers.

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The Warrior shoe company was the only shoe company in China during the early years of the Communist party. Everyone wore them. Cheap, canvas sneakers with rubber soles, they remain ubiquitous in China today. I love them.

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I heard Alife and other boutiques have started carrying Warriors. Which is crazy. They’re like 3 or 4 dollars a pair in China. My sister helped me buy a few pairs to take back home with me. Everyone on the mountain thought I was crazy and yelled at her for letting me buy such cheap shoes. She told them that I was all about wasting money on clothes. It’s not a waste when you have shoes made for warriors though, is it?

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stuff for your girl

By jon | Published: March 3, 2010

You always know Spring has arrived when you see girls wearing skirts and dresses. There’s nothing quite like strolling through the city on that first really nice day of the year. It generally takes everyone by surprise, and girls, you never disappoint.  While we may have a few more months before this happens in the midwest, it’s still fun to dream, right?

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One good thing about getting her a skirt now? Even if it’s a little chilly out she can rock those tights she loves underneath it. The Charlie skirt from dace is a classic highwaisted number that will make her look like a fashion editor or a beautiful assassin.

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Skirts often get overlooked in the arsenal of gifts for your girl. The Las Cruces skirt by SnoozerLoser hits all the right notes. It’s the perfect length and pairs with an oxford equally as well as it would a tank. There’s something about the way she bounds down a sidewalk on a sunny day that makes this skirt perfect for her, isn’t there?

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Is she that perfect level of disheveled where she has to push back that tendril of hair that always gets in her way when she’s sketching? Headbands, feathers, barrettes, girls can pretty much put anything in their hair and make it look awesome.  Give her SnoozerLoser’s  Metal Arrowbird barrette and while her hair will be held in place, don’t worry, she’ll develop another adorable idiosyncrasy for you to silently admire.

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I’m beginning to think Sonia from SnoozerLoser has a secret door into a hidden world full of dreamlike oddities and girls who like the Pixies and Gang Starr. This bird cage necklace is so so cool. If she picks this out on her own, go buy a telescope so you can see in person how the planets, stars, moons, and sun all aligned just so you could meet her.

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my stuff

By jon | Published: February 27, 2010

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This reproduction of a pilot’s helmet bag has quickly become my go-to bag. It’s lightweight, waterproof, and has a ton of carrying capacity. If  you’re in the market for a tough, cheap tote, get yourself to your local Army Surplus.

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I told you it could carry a lot. I’m a big fan of slipping my laptop into another, smaller bag when I’m toting it around the city. One, it helps keep some semblance of order to my gear. Two, you never know, an extra layer can’t hurt right? I got the Monocle tote as part of the subscription to the magazine. Although I’m not enamored with all of the external branding, I do really like some of  the small details. Like this inner pocket which is perfect for all my gadgets.

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While I wish it was carrying a grappling hook and smoke bombs, sadly, it is relegated to my swiss army knife, cell phone, and hard drive. I also try and always carry an extra pair of glasses around. You never know when your contact lens will decide to make the leap from your eye to the pavement. Try as hard as you want but squinting like a pirate never impresses the ladies.

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The reading materials. Normally you’ll see me with a muji notebook shoved in my back pocket. When I went to New York, my dad got me the NYC city guide moleskine. Let’s just say the subway map definitely came in handy when my cousin and I made the trek out to Brooklyn.

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Kafka illustrated by Robert Crumb? I’ll take two. I found this book when I was an undergrad. There’s a few in the series, but I couldn’t resist the pairing of two such self-loathing talents.

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Look, Kafka’s dad was a haberdasher. Connections, kids, always look for connections. Wanna sound like a moderate jerkstore? Describe things as Kafkaesque.

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The Mono Workwear Journal turned out to be one of the cooler things I ended up bringing back from Japan. It’s an exhaustive collection of American workwear and the Japanese efforts to recreate it. With a typically Japanese attention to detail and information, this is a one stop shop for inspiration. Plus, if it’s cool enough for these guys, it’s cool enough for me.

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You can’t really have a journal of workwear/military inspired gear and not feature Nigel Cabourn can you?

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This picture sums up shopping in Japan. Tons and tons of the coolest gear you’ve ever seen. The only thing that was missing during my shopping safari was the presence of a menswear legend.

There’s well over 300 pages in the journal, so if you’re super interested in a particular topic (’30s denim, military gear, etc.) let me know and I’ll scan a few pages.

Also, if you ever see me with this bag please don’t steal it, there’s lots of cool stuff in it.

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nice base layers

By jon | Published: February 24, 2010

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The kind people at Uniqlo sent me some awesome gear for the winter. The key to staying warm is layers. Layering sometimes isn’t the most friendly to the kind of sartorial nonsense I generally get into. But these HeatTech shirts are near perfect.

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The key to a good base layer is striking a balance between heat retention and minimizing bulk. No one likes a lumpy oxford, do they?

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Uniqlo hooked it up with a long sleeve crew neck and turtleneck. While I love the shirts-I’m a total packaging nerd and I really appreciated the crisp presentation.

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I wore my HeatTech crewneck while I was in New York for market week. It was perfect-I got away with running around the city with just the heattech, an oxford, and a tweed blazer in the middle of January.

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For sixteen bucks, you can’t go wrong. I just wore the turtleneck snowshoeing. I have no doubts that these base layers will come in handy when I forget to heat my car up and have to spend 10 minutes cleaning snow and scraping ice off the windshield these February mornings.

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So head on over to Uniqlo and get yourself some longjohns. That way, when you notice her shiver, you can give her your jacket without succumbing to hypothermia before you get to show off your rakish charm and devilish good looks.

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Denim Debate

By jon | Published: February 23, 2010

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I’m happy to announce that the Denim Debate is now live. If you’re interested in denim at all-whether you’re deciding if it’s worth the price point or obsessed with fading and whiskering-you’ll love this site. Ryan Plett (the mind behind youhavebrokentheinternet) brought together 25 people to document their relationship with a new pair of denim. From start to finish and everything in between, it will all be shown on the site.

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The contributors to the denim debate are a veritable whos who of bloggers, shop owners, and creative types. I’m not sure how I sneaked into the party, but stay tuned for my Flat Head F310s and I. The Denim Debate is a great resource-a one stop shop to see how an incredible range of denim fits, shrinks, and breaks in. Check it out let us know what you think.

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nice sunglasses

By jon | Published: February 22, 2010

Moscot has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Founded in 1915 by Mr. Hyman Moscot, the company has been providing classic, understated eyewear ever since.

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The Lemtosh is by far my favorite model. I love the rounded shape and I don’t think you can ever go wrong with tortoise shell. Buddy Holly and Truman Capote wore the Lemtosh. Grab yourself these frames and you’ll be in good company.

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I think these frames are ideal for prescription eye glasses or sunglasses. Personally, I’ve been on the lookout for some solid sunglasses and I think these look amazing.  The fact that you can get real glass lenses in some classic colorways is just bonus.

Already have a pair of great frames? Don’t forget your girl. Girls-I know you love those huge sunglasses that cover your whole face, but really, these would be so much cooler. We actually want to see your face.

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my stuff

By jon | Published: February 21, 2010

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It’s been a pretty great day today so far. Sunny and around 40 degrees. Perfect vest and flannel weather. I know a lot of people say no mixing patterns like camouflage and plaid, but I’m feeling it lately.

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I picked up this vest in Toronto a few years back. Penfield makes pretty sweet down filled vests.  This particular vest is a collaboration with Maharishi. Known for their camouflage patterns, the DPMxPenfield pattern really caught my eye.

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Rather than just amorphous shapes, Maharishi played on the down filling that Penfield is known for. Feathers and the Penfield bear are worked into  the pattern. I think it’s a great way to take the camo away from its military history while maintaining the overall look. Plus it’s cool to have camo feathers and what not on your vest.

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My jeans are The Flat Head F310s. Get them at SelfEdge. Boots are by ciaopanic. I can’t remember where this flannel is from-I’ve either had it forever or bought it at a thrift store.

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My Heritage Leather mason bag. I picked this up when I was in New York at the Hickoree’s Hard Goods pop up in Brooklyn. All canvas, with moccasin leather handles and straps, metal feet, and a steel frame mouth-this bag is diesel. I love that it has feet-why don’t all bags have feet? For 60 bucks, I challenge you to find a more durable, cooler bag. Get it online at Hickoree’s.

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I am really liking camouflage again. It’s definitely a fine line to walk though. You don’t want to come across as disrespectful to those who wear it as a part of their service. You also don’t want to come across as a guy in a ’90s boy band. Hopefully I’m not doing either.

Check out L.A.S’ take on camo here. Oh and if you want, you can buy me these cargos. Yup. I said it. Camo and cargo pockets.

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photo safari

By jon | Published: February 19, 2010

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my stuff

By jon | Published: February 18, 2010

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This was what I wore in some form or another pretty much all last week. Oxford button down (in this case a vintage single needle I’ve had since high school), Polo flannel, denim. The Polo piece I think was originally a part of a pajama set, although I’m not sure. I’ve been channeling old man steez lately and I’ve been grabbing this more and more on the way out the door.  Plus it’s perfect for layering, which is pretty important during the winter.

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Cardigans, thick eye glasses, a curmudgeonly attitude and an over sized flannel pajama shirt; everything any old man worth his salt has ready at his disposal. A quick perusal of my gear and you’ll quickly realize there isn’t much separating me and the dudes eating dinner at 4:30. But don’t worry I’ll be the cooler old guy who doesn’t yell at you for riding your big wheel across his lawn or through his leaf pile.

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I’ve had these Johnston&Murphy captoes since high school. They’ve held up really well and have been stalwart supporters throughout the years. Socks, no socks, they don’t care. Law library, bar, dimsum they’re up for it all.

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I’ve been on the lookout for a new pair of kicks for spring. What about you guys? Longwings, suede, chromexcel? Bucks? Crazy studded 5 inch wedges? What’s the one shoe you want this spring?

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my stuff – apc new standards

By jon | Published: February 17, 2010

I’ve gotten a few questions about my a.p.c. new standards-how they’re breaking in, stretching+shrinking issues, and also how the GAP selvedge compares. At around 9-10 months and one wash I figured it was a good time to give an update. Unfortunately, I haven’t really worn the Gap jeans at all. I have way, way too much denim. Really, you only need one pair of good jeans-they should last you at least a year, probably more.

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These new standards were the only jeans I took on my trip to Asia. I wore them almost exclusively during the last half of the trip-so around 25 days give or take.I washed them when I got home. I would’ve liked to wait until a full 12 months but after walking through bamboo forests, polluted cities, riding motorcycles, and lots of public transportation the jeans were in need of a good cleanse and rest.

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There’s a ton of different theories on the proper way to wash raw denim. I filled a bathtub up with warm/hot water and an organic detergent. I threw the jeans in, making sure that they soaked completely through. After gently working them in the soapy water I let them soak for a little under an hour. Rinse and let hang dry.

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I wore them for a week or so after washing just to set in the creases and of course get them a little dirty again. After the wash, there wasn’t a very apparent difference. Give it about a week. The creases set in and the whiskering is coming in nicely now.

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The soak bled the indigo dye giving the jeans a lighter hue. Although they are much lighter than the unwashed denim in my closet, they retain a rich blue color.  It’s a shame that they’ve left the starting rotation for the time being, they are really hitting their prime.

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As far  as fit, I probably would get a 31 instead of a 32 next time-only because they do stretch. I don’t really wear my pants that slim, so I don’t mind, but I have to wear a belt with them now. When I got them they fit pretty much perfectly. They shrink after the wash although not a ton.

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All in all, I’m really pleased with the new standards. I can see why it’s a really popular jean and comes recommended by almost everyone. I can also  see how it leads to more interest in denim-which isn’t really a bad thing, except for your bank balance.  The only real reason these guys are getting a rest is because I got my hands on something else. I’m definitely hooked on raw selvage denim.

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