J Press Shaggy Dog Sweater

While many of you are taking advantage of J. Press’ recent 25% off sale, I was lucky enough to visit their Sample Sale in NYC two weeks ago. Now, the interwebs have been all a-buzz about the Shaggy Dog Sweater. To be quite honest, I wasn’t even going to go to the sale – that was until I saw a review of the sale showcasing their brushed Shetland crewneck sweater.

Now I do have to say there are a couple fit issues. While most people have stated the wears from J Press are oversized and box-like, I have to say that this fits pretty snug through the chest and shoulders. Even the sleeves come up a bit short. After trying on a medium, it was so tight through the chest and the sleeves so short, I ultimately decided upon a Large. The large is a little baggy at the waist, but I’m glad the sleeves actually come to my wrist. Looking back, a Medium might have been a better option since it’s probably due to stretch, but paying $35 for a sweater that retails for 160? I’m quite happy with my sweater.

The fabric itself is quite soft and light, but incredibly warm. Unlike some other lambswool sweaters, which I find to be incredibly scratchy, this has an amazing soft quality. Check out some photos for action shots (cropped to protect the innocent).

Natural Belt - 1 Month

After the wedding, the wife and I spent some quality time in Italy bouncing from Florence, to Rome, and ending in Sorrento. Due to my new sartorial obsession, and to my wife’s chagrin, I spent a lot of time window shopping. Although many shops carried goods I could only hope to afford (Kiton, Cucinelli, Canali, etc.), we would occasionally stumble upon small shops with modestly priced handmade goods. In Rome, we happened upon a fantastic leather goods shop. Most items were made for women, but there was one wall filled with men’s belts.

Being the Styeforum and Superfuture addicted lurker that I am – I have become well acquainted with the growing interest in natural leather goods. Consider natural leather the equivalent of raw denim. The leather is untreated by any stain or oil, other than the very initial treatment to finish the outer surface. These goods are meant to age and develop character that will look its best a few years down the road. With such quality makers as Tanner or Corter, natural leather can be quite the pricey endeavor. Yet to my surprise, the belts in this shop cost a fraction of these upper tier items. For approximately $40 American, I was able to pick up this beauty.

Over time, with occasional treatings of Obenauf and perhaps a tanning in the sun, I hope that this will darken and gain a nice patina to create another well aged piece to add to my growing wardrobe.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the shop, but if you ever happen to find yourself near the Pantheon in Rome, wander down a few side-streets and keep an eye out for local clothiers.

You can even start to see some slight aging of the leather near the buckle. Since the leather has been untreated, it will begin to absorb the oils from my hand. As it is used more frequently, it will start to take on a rich golden color and darken. Before the winter creeps in, I should treat it in order to guard against any water stains.

Notice the thickness of the leather. This will thin out over time, but it's an easy indication of quality leather. Also note the buckle, nice and simple, just how I like it.

The belt was initially too large for my waste, but the shop owner/worker was nice enough to match it to the belt I was wearing and cut it down to size. Truly a fantastic shop. If you're ever in the area, seek it out as they have some very nice women's bags as well.

Levis 501 STF Update

Told you I would update eventually. To start off, I thought it would be good to revisit one my original product reviews, the Levis 501 Shrink to Fit.

This pair has been worn off and on, mostly as beater jeans, and been washed in cold water and received a hot dry. The first thing you might notice is that the denim has lost that raw sheen. It has also shrunk slightly and developed some slight fades. There are a couple whiskers in the lap area and a more drastic fade in the wallet area.

To be honest, I think the jeans are a great bargain at $35, but I find the fit unflattering, especially in the thighs and seat. The color also leaves a bit to be desired. I would darker navy tone rather than the bright blue this pair will eventually develop.

All in all, the 501 STF were a fun experiment, but I’m looking forward to some new raws this Christmas.

I'm Back...

Sooo, I’m back. And it only took me, what? A couple months?

For the curious minds, and I doubt that’s many, the wedding was amazing. All the hard work and planning (mostly by my wife) came to fruition and a good time was had by all. I’ll post a couple wedding pics when I get around to it. The honeymoon was awesome. We went to Italy with stops at Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. More pictures of that as we go along. To be honest, I think the next batch of posts will pretty much revolve around the wedding, honeymoon, and the various things that involves. I have a few tips I’ve learned along the way and I’d like to share them with everyone. Don’t worry, most of them will be sartorially related.

In non-wedding news, I have acquired some new pieces of clothing that I’m willing to review and lend an opinion, not that you needed one. I have also started another blog, a Tumblr account. I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but with the frequency that I would post images on this blog, I figured why not break up the pics and the text. For all those curious enough to venture over, check out Bad Scene (I know, real original). Hopefully I can return to a more regular stream of commentary posts, but we’ll see. Work is still crazy at the new job, but at least it’s crazy in a good way. I’m not going to promise any kind of posting schedule, but I will try to keep it a little more frequent

Either way, it’s glad to be back and I’ll be keeping in touch.

And by the way, this is my 100th post, bitches! There's probably little reason to celebrate my nerdiness and obsessions, but fuck it...