Aldridge

Special thanks to Paul V. over at J. Crew personal shoppers for hooking me up with the Aldridge 3 button suit. The fit is so wonderfully modern. When I put the suit on, it doesn't feel like I'm wearing my great-uncle's suit that I'm hoping no one will notice. The sale price of 60% off didn't hurt either!

The Jacket is cut slim enough so that if I want to wear it as a separate, it looks perfect.

This is my first time buying J. Crew suiting. If it wears well, I think I'll be back for more.

We make a lot of garbage!

It truly amazes me what comes out of my kids' mouths some days. Yesterday I picked my daughter up from preschool. On the ride home I asked her how her day was and what she did. She told me about how her teacher read her a book about garbage. At first I thought she was joking.

Then she went on to tell me how garbage is packaged together and put on a ship and taken out into the ocean to be dumped. Daddy, she said, we make a lot of garbage and we need to recycle. We need to buy big white containers and put our glass, aluminum, plastic and paper in them.

M1 isn't even 4 years old yet, mind you. And she is fully versed in how to recycle and why its important!

I was pretty floored. Lucky for me, it was paper recycling day so I had quite a pile of stuff to show her. She was pretty happy to hear that the recycling man would come pick up the papers soon. I don't think she knows exactly what "recycling" means, but she's got a pretty good head start!

Squares

A lot of blogs do a great job of uncovering fabulous fashion and individuals with unique flair.

Most times, when keeping an eye out for such elements of style, I can't help but notice the enormous amounts of horrible style out there. And I'm in the NYC area, so one would think that the fashion meter should be a little higher.

Let's take for a minute the issue of shoes. Each day my eyes are subject to countless sightings of the horrible looking shoes in the pic above. I see them on the train, at work, on the street, on older men and younger dudes. I have had enough of this dreaded style. Matter of fact, I think the expiration date on these shoes was circa 2001.

I think the "style" is called bicycle toe. Huge square toe, clunky, dead-black, low quality replicas made in God knows where. Ok, I'll admit that in '96 I thought square toe shoes were pretty up-to-date too. But things move on. 13 years later, clueless dudes are still getting mileage out of the square toe dogs. Come on! Now its bad enough when the shoes are lace ups as in the pic, but when the shoes are actually slip-ons...oh jezuz...it's like a train wreck, so bad that I can't look away.

Maybe I'll count the number of these clunkers that I see on the commute home tonight for fun. If you know a guy walking around in these, please have the heart to tell him.

Rectangles

My obsession for a pair of quality shades ended in February with a pair of Ralph Lauren Aviators. I was fairly happy with them, being Polarized and all. They fit me pretty well, though I was never really able to reconcile the gold colored frames. I'm not a big fan of that color on me.

I do dig the aviator look, but I've always liked the rectangular shape better than the classic tear drop shape.

So my thirst was quenched until I got this month's GQ. In the GQ "Goods" layout (page 53 if you're keeping score at home)was a spread on Rectangular Radiators. Down at the bottom were a pair of oh-so-sweet Ray Bans. Just like that, the obsession returned. I searched every on-line site with Ray Bans to try to find the exact model in the magazine. It was a tough find, as the layout didn't specify the model number. After searching on line for a while, I took a look at the magazine again. Barely there, on the inside of the temple was the model number: RayBan 3136. BAM!

At the local mall there are 4 sunglass stores. 2 had the 3136 model, but in colors I didn't dig. Ended up buying a pair that were similar, but those went back.

So I try FramesDirect.com. They're an authorized dealer, so I trust them. Last thing I want to do is pay handsomely for a pair of knock-offs. I ordered the gunmetal frame color with green lenses. Hopefully by this time next week I'll have them. Just hoping they're available, as someone told me the 3136 has been discontinued.

These Ray Bans are made in Italy, and no one is more obsessed with their sunglasses than the Italians, so the quality will hopefully be top-notch.

Best of all, the green lenses will match nicely with the extra lime in my T&T.

Exciting News!! Premium Vodka!

Happy belated Memorial Day. Oh yeah, that was a weekend. A 3 dayer indeed. And not having to travel made it seem so much longer.

My entry Friday about the explosion of vodkas and my love for T&T's was so timely. Saturday night I went out to eat with the family at an Italian place that has a really nice bar in the front of the house. The waiter, after introducing himself, asks if we'd like to try a new PREMIUM VODKA that they have. He goes on to describe how it is triple distilled and diamond filtered and this and that. Then he points out the bottle. It's in the shape of a skull with a florescent light on top! I almost thought it was a joke. I couldn't help but laugh in the guy's face. A god damn skull head bottle. What the hell is this world coming to? Just what we need, more ridiculous vodka in stupid packaging. No doubt someone will buy the stuff.

So to counteract this, I made sure to have at least three T&T's a day over the long weekend. Perfect way to start the summer.

Body & Soul Sunday night was good for me, though not great. The place was full, but not packed. Best part of the night was seeing so many old friends. It was good to hear Joe, Danny and FK together again, but its just not the same when the party is outside of Club Vinyl (RIP). Just as I was getting ready to leave, without hitting that high note, Danny played "Shout-n-Out" by LOOD (Donnell Rush and MAW) at midnight and Joe followed that with Sounds of Blackness "The Pressure". Those two records easily make it into my 1st string list. The Pressure was one of the first 12" singles I bought back in '91 when I first started buying records seriously. Anyway, the saying is "You can never go home again". Maybe so, but man, I miss those Body & Soul days.

On Monday M1 and M2 got to see a Memorial Day parade in town. They seemed to love it. Clowns, elephants, bands, fire trucks.

Oh yeah, was able to cross many things off my list too....

T&T

One of the things on my weekend list was to buy more Gin. Gin, the forgotten spirit. You go into a liquor store these days and the selection of Vodkas is astonishing. Brands from every corner of the world. Every flavor imaginable: Raspberry, Pear, Vanilla, Apple Pie, Ketchup, Mustard, Salt & Pepper. What the hell has happened to Vodka?

And there, in its much smaller shelf-space, lies Gin. Gin, oh wonderful Gin.

I never got much into Vodka. Never truly enjoyed a drink with Vodka like I enjoy Gin. Gin's aromas and lore always lured me in more than vodka. Maybe it's because my father always drank Gin & Tonics during the summer. He taught me how to make them when I was very young. He showed me the extra step not to be missed: the once-around the rim of the glass with the squeezed lime to make sure that the drinker got an extra hit of lime flavor wherever he sipped his drink.

With Vodka drinkers, you go out for a drink with them and to hear them order a drink is like hearing them describing a science project. With me and a couple of my boys, once summer hits, there is no question what we'll be having. T&T (Tanqueray & Tonic) with extra lime. The extra lime makes the whole difference.

My bottle of Bombay Sapphire is 3/4 done, so I thought more gin was needed, as next weekend I'm having a BBQ at the house and there will be plenty of Gin drinkers to satisfy. I prefer the Sapphire for martinis, so I grabbed some Tanqueray for the T&Ts. Picked up some Plymouth as well, as I've been meaning to try this for a while now. It's gotten rave reviews from Gin drinkers around the globe.

To some folks, the official start of summer is breaking out the beach wear. To some, its getting the BBQ grill ready for action. For me, its that unmistakable smell of the limes and Gin combining to make that perfect summer item.

For some more information on this glorious invention, take a look Here

If you're not foaming at the mouth now, you must be a Vodka drinker. Shame.

The List-Weekend

I'm on my daily commute to work today. It's 7:10am and the train is rolling into NYC, and my mind is racing faster than it should be so early in the morning. Today is Thursday, just one day more to go before the start of the long weekend. Ahhhh, the long Memorial Day weekend. The start of summer fun....And all I can do is think of more and more things to add to my ever-growing list of tasks that need to get done. I'm a list kinda guy. Something to be done? Put in on list, prioritize it, do it, and cross it off. That's how I organize things in my head. Works for me. Wife hates it.

Jump to the office...in the elevator.... overhearing some conversations about all the fun planned for the long weekend. My mind just jumps over to the task list again. Oil change, Tire rotation, mow the lawn, dry cleaners, gas for the BBQ grill, plan menu for next week's BBQ, etc, etc, etc. Suddenly I felt so adult-ish. So grown up. So boring.

Some days I do still feel 25, but man, some days I do feel my age, and then some.

My wife is probably right. I probably do obsess too much about tasks, and I don't live in the moment enough. My moments will come this weekend though. Expecting my J Crew Aldridge suit tomorrow (65% off, thank you very much), and I have a ticket to Body & Soul on Sunday. Plus, I plan to surprise the wife tonight with an early b-day present that she's gonna flip for. M1 and M2 will no doubt get plenty of time for the swings, the parks, their bikes, etc.

So for everyone out there rolling through this long weekend with no list, enjoy. I'll be running around trying to cross things off mine. And trying to live in the moment in between.

~JB

Selvedge Weekend

After a week of the wall street uniform, it was a great weekend for my Selvedge denim addiction. I got quality wearing time out of 3 pairs. Saturday during the day, the vintage indigo pair saw use. The black rinse selvedge pair saw some use on Saturday night and then on Sunday I was rockin the cream colored selvedge. Ahhhh, my selvedge fix for the week. Even my brother, who never makes comments on my clothes, proclaimed his liking for the cream selvedge pair.

My goal now is NOT to buy another pair until the Fall collections come out. The new, re-launched GAP 1969 line, at $69, has my attention. That's at least 3 months away, so the wait begins.

The Masterpiece

When it comes to art, I am not in the know. However, this portrait of me, sketched by my daughter, M1, at 3.5 years of age, is a masterpiece I believe. The marks on my cheeks are for my sometimes-beard.

She was a bit generous with the hair, but that's fine with me. Thanks for the picture sweety. I love it!

Man on the Balcony

I was browsing on-line pictures of Napoli and came across this shot of a man on his balcony. The simple nature of the pic, just an old man relaxing, looking over his laundry out into the world struck me. Especially when just beyond our view is the (un)organzied chaos that is the city of Napoli. Just one person, in a city of 2+ million. Wonder what this guy was thinking at that moment?

Is my laundry dry yet?

Is the garbage strike over yet?

What time is Teresa gonna be home to cook the macaroni?

Why is that man down there taking a picture of my towels?


~JB

M2 is 3!

That lil' dude there is my boy. M2 we'll call him. He just turned 3 on May 10th. As you can see, he's already diggin the gingham checked tie and spaghetti aglio e olio.

J. Crew Men's Shop

Like everyone else in NYC, it seems, I wandered over to the new J. Crew men's shop on B-way in SOHO yesterday. Must say, I was very impressed. Great space, perfectly done. Great mix of J Crew classics and some interesting vintage items. (I even noticed a collection of vintage pencil sharpeners as I left. My father still has one of these screwed into the wall in his garage. Maybe I should grab that next time I'm there...) The Alden shoes were my faves. At $400 I won't be sporting these anytime soon, but man were they on-point.

I've been more and more impressed with J Crew the past few years. Their men's wear line has really evolved into a quality, affordable choice. I love the fact that its built around traditional classics, with a slightly modern flair. As a father of two kiddies who doesn't have much time (and $$$) to shop properly , I've found J Crew to be a reliable choice (and an addictive one at that, especially their selvedge denim, thus the name of this blog!). Their tailored line has really elevated the brand, though I've yet to go for a full suit.

To me, this is a clear visible sign of J Crew's move from just another mall brand to something more refined.

Today, I'm sporting the J Crew/Sperry collaborated Chukka boots. Two years ago I would have never considered going with a brand like Sperry, but J Crew did these right. I'm really diggin' these.

Check out A Continuous Lean for great shots of the J. Crew Men's Wear Shop, and other quality topics!

2 Weeks to Body & Soul

I can't think of a better way to open this blog than to proclaim my excitement for the upcoming Body & Soul on May24th. For those who don't know, B&S was a Sunday evening NYC institution in the late 90's and early 2000s for house heads, DJs, and music lovers. DJ's Francois K, Danny Krivit and Joe Claussell drew sell out crowds from across the globe every week. Sadly, the weekly event ended in 2002, but thank God promoter John Davis recreates the magic a few times a year here in the US, and around the globe.

On May 24th the magic returns and I intend to get my fix, standing near those speakers until Joe Claussell makes my ears bleed! The party takes place at Webster Hall in NYC. Granted, its no Club Vinyl, but I guess you can't win them all.

As the old man at Home Depot said to me this weekend while arguing with his wife in line "Ya win some, ya lose some, and some get rained out"

I don't indulge in the vinyl anymore, but I did buy 10 tracks from Traxsource this week to get my mind back in the right space. The new stuff by Lil Louis is classic. Why doesn't this guy put out more music??? Anyway, even after being away from this sound for a while, it still hits exactly in that perfect spot.

As JD used to say SYOTDF: See You On the Dance Floor !