Cheap Monday Clairvoyant Collection

I’m not typically a fan of expensive sunglasses, although I was lucky enough to receive some New Wayfarers last year as a gift (tortoise, ftw). As nice as they are, the style doesn’t suit every situation. Lately, I’ve been mulling over a pair of aviators. At the RayBan price point, they’re simply out of the question. To me, sunglasses should be simple and disposable. It’s great to have a nice pair, but what do you wear when you go to the beach or camping?

For this reason, Cheap Monday’s Clairvoyant Collection seems perfect. At $35 a pop, feel free to wear them wherever and whenever. Also, it can allow you to try new styles without the fear of overspending. Personally, I’ve always wanted to try a pair of Clubmasters, but wasn’t willing to shell out for them. Now I can give them a shot, no problem. Check them out.

Michael Bastian and GANT Rugger: F/W 2010

During this winter’s F/W 2010 Fashion Week, Michael Bastian was the center of some much deserved media buzz. Creating a line of lacrosse inspired clothes for the newly revamped Gant brand, Bastian has struck a chord with many of the modern prep enthusiasts, myself included.

During high school, I played lacrosse for four years. It’s an incredibly fun game; fast paced, aggressive, and with just a tinge of elitism. The best part of the game, at least in my eyes, is that it is practically non-existent outside of the Northeastern United States. Granted other areas, such as California and the Southeast U.S., have started playing, it will never rival its popularity in the Baltimore/Washington or NY areas. Perhaps this is why lacrosse players have a certain swagger which is often translated through their clothing style.

To be honest, I hated most of the stereotypical lax style. Chino shorts, polos, and boat shoes? Yeah right. This was during my more rigidly defined days of punk aesthetics. Fortunately, I have grown out of my iconoclastic ways an embraced a variety of other styles and attitudes (See Giussepe’s post on eclecticism). Where I would never have been caught dead in critter shorts, something about Bastian’s frayed corduroy edges and lax sticks has me reminiscing of the old days. Below is a sampling of pieces from Gant’s F/W 2010 lineup that just happened to catch my eye. While a part of me still cringes at the overly prep styling, any of these items could easily be mixed and matched in a way that could transcend this irritating quality to something much more appealing.

File Under Awesome

I just found this keychain tool created by PocketToolX. Made from surgical stainless steel, the Brewzer will open bottles, pry nails, scrape, act as a flathead screw driver, and the coup de gras… the edged point on the end is designed to shotgun beers. Every man will need one of these.

Personally, I like to drink beer of the micro-brew variety. Not that I don’t enjoy cheap beer too, but if I’m only drinking a couple on an easy going night, I would like a decent beer. Now, most of these beers are bottled with non-twist off caps and unfortunately for me, I do not have the foresight to attach a bottle opener to my keychain. I am then left to track down the host of a given party and ask for their opener. Needless to say, this is irritating at best.

And thus enters the practicality of this featured tool. Not only would I be able to pop off the cap of any bottle of my choosing, but I could also easily puncture a shotgun when the need arises (This would come in handy when drinking the aforementioned cheap beer), or even perform various household tasks. The uses for this tool are seemingly limitless! I know what I’m asking for when my birthday rolls around.

Weekly Pics

Stuff I saw this week.

Summer Inspiration

Thanks to Sartorially Inclined for a shout-out the other day. He also announced the debut of LIFE Magazine's unreleased Steve McQueen photographs. Now, it seems as if everyone and their mother is looking toward McQueen as the style godfather. Not to jump on the bandwagon, but I found the photo below to be absolutely fantastic in terms of attitude, style, and ease. Everything is perfect; the slim taper of his chinos, his beat up white sneakers, sturdy watch, and his overall calm demeanor.

I remember the first time I became aware of Steve McQueen. Both my father and I are big fans of The Great Escape, a WWII POW movie where McQueen plays a leading role. The movie itself is riveting. During a particularly action packed scene, my father remarked how popular McQueen was in the 60s. It was during his famous motorcycle chase and my father mentioned that chinos and grey sweaters became the fashion statement the year of the movie's release. (Imagine that!) This was of little interest to my 11-year-old mind, but its funny how people remember things like this. I was more interested in the fact that McQueen performed his own stunts for the movie, especially that motorcycle chase. It was some time later until I saw Magnificent Seven and I am now watching The Thomas Crowne Affair, both of which will soon be added to my long list of favorite movies. So in this time of rabid McQueen fervor, I'm afraid I must again concede and agree that he was quite possibly one of the most stylish man in history.

It's been said before, but McQueen's style and grace is simply unparalleled.

For the Walk to the Office

Piggy backing on yesterday’s post, the following are a selection of raincoats which would be perfect for a walk from the subway to the office. I prefer a mackintosh since it gives a slimmer look overall.


Jump the Gun 60’s Raincoat $190
Simply perfection. Jump the Gun is a British shop which specializes in mod-influenced menswear. They carry some of the best brands and their house brand is top of the line. Make sure to check out their house shirts and sta-press trousers.


YMC Waxed Mac $160
I’m not too familiar with this brand, but if they can produce an item of this quality for this price, I will need to get acquainted.


JCrew Sutherland $198
There’s not a whole lot to say about JCrew which hasn’t been said. It would just be a crime not to mention this item.


LL Bean Signature Trench $185
This jacket been mentioned in a previous post. Very nice, although at this price point any of these other options might be a better bet. On the other hand, I doubt they will go on sale as often or as deep as LL Bean.


Lands End Canvas Heritage Cotton Coat $80
Certainly not the most stylish, but hard to resist at this price-point.

Seiko Spirit

There is just something about military styled watches. It could be the utilitarian ruggedness, or the simplicity of design, but I like to think it’s because you can drive a tank over them and they’ll keep ticking. Seiko just released a Made in Japan version of their Spirit model. It looks fantastic, especially when paired with one a colored band from JCrew or Dievas from Gnomon; perfect for Spring or Summer.

Howard Yount Spring 2010 Ties

Howard Yount, the clothing line of a fellow poster from StyleForum has just released a new series of ties for spring. Featured in this line are ties made from many materials, from linen to silk to cotton, and in some interesting colors. The sherbet orange striped linen tie happens to be my favorite. Prices range from $75 to $85. Buy them here.

Caught in the Rain

It’s been raining cats and dogs in the Northeast for the past few days, which gave me an idea for a blog post. After getting caught in a deluge last night, I was left pondering what sort of rain jacket I wish I would find in my closet. Ranging from the more affordable, to the way out-of-the-budget, here are some of the more stylish offerings of wet weather gear.

Fjallraven Nordli $190


APC x K-Way Packable Parka $195


Fred Perry x British Millerain $295


Barbour x Tokihito Yoshida $495


Woolrich Woolen Mills Carlsbad $525


Stone Island Four Pocket Hooded Jacket $655


Nigel Cabourne New Cameraman $975


…And sometimes you just need to grab something more affordable and easy to find, albeit something you might find on the Jersey Shore.

The North Face Prophecy $150