Love from Warby Parker

About a year or so back, GQ ran a feature about the new start-up glasses company Warby Parker. WP was out to make buying new stylish frames easy and affordable. The company would even send you 5 pairs of frames to try on at home, at your leisure.

Of course, the GQ-effect was huge, and when I tried to order some frames on line, all the best offerings were sold out.

Last week I was happy to see the fine Warby Parker folks at the Pop Up Flea. Their offerings looked even better in person than on line. Sadly, the kick-ass Fillmore in Sandalwood are still sold out, but a equally bad-ass Fillmore in Crystal, designed in collaboration with Steven Alan, are calling your name:

Can you think of a more stylish way to spend $95?

Simply

Thanks be to God.

Best to you and those dear to you.

~JB~

John W. Hulme

One of the best vendors for eye candy at last week's Pop Up Flea was J.W. Hulme's leather goods.

The company goes way back to 1905, when John Hulme got into the business of making tents for the upcoming war.

The century brought many direction changes and owners, but through good fortune the fine folks at J.W.H. are still making quality leather goods in Minnesota today.The collection now includes canvas sporting bags, hunting bags, business travel bags, as well as women's hand bags.

It was hard to get a really close look since lots of people were huddled around, getting a look at the goods. But the leather wallets, passport covers, and leather totes were a sight to behold.

How about this beauty for your next weekend getaway?

And the winner is...

After a long search for the King of Pennys, it came down to 2:

+Allen Edmonds Walden
+J. Crew x Bass Gordon



On paper, it looks like a tough battle. Both shoes are made in USA by storied shoe makers. Both shoes have the classic loafer profile, although the Bass model has the beef-roll detailing.

At the end, my foot liked the AE Walden best. Here's why:
+More support for my flat fleet
+Classic burgundy color over the Bass brown color
+AE's abilibity to be reconditioned at the AE factory after I put some serious wear on them

Welcome to the family Walden.

Drink the Root

This past week at the J. Crew holiday shopping event the fine folks at J. Crew offered Brooklyn Lager and a mystery brown liquor that looked like a bourbon, just a bit more translucent.

Being a bourbon fan, I skipped the beer and went for the brown mystery liquid in the rocks glass. When I asked the server what it was, he replied "Wood Liquor". This is the ultimate, I thought. J. Crew has taken the workwear thing to the final step and has started making and marketing their own moonshine!

When I asked for more clarity, the server directed me to the bartender. The bartender showed me the bottle. What he was pouring was a liquor named "ROOT". Reading the ingredients, its something you'd never dream of drinking, but this magical potion was damned good. Just to be sure I liked it, I had 2 more.

What's in it? Birch bark, black tea, sugar cane, sassafras, lemon peel, anise, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

The origins date back to the 1700s when the Native Americans introduced it to the settlers as "Root Tea".

It's a taste that's hard to describe, but if you're looking for something off the beaten path this winter, I'd suggest you take a look at the history and how its made in this video:

CHECK OUT THE ROOT

Tellason

If you read Michael Williams’ (of ACL) guide to denim this past summer in Men’s Journal, you’ll recall Michael’s recommendation of Tellason jeans. I had come across the brand before, but never really did any homework on them. So I did some digging.

+Made in the USA? Check. San Fran, CA.
+Quality selvedge denim? Check, none other than Cone Mills.
+The right fit? Check, slim straight.
+Details? Check, Tanner goods leather patch.

The denim got high praises from the denim-heads across the blog world so I figured I had to give them a try. The fine gents at UNIONMADE GOODS were able to help with sizing and I had them in my hands in no time.

The first thing that struck me about these jeans is the extreme attention to detail. The chain stitched hem was so masterfully done that I didn’t dare shorten these jeans. The detailing on the back pockets and the extra reinforcement there was superb. The back pockets even have some stitching done with genuine indigo thread.


The fit was just as described. The only thing that concerned me was the rise. This was the lowest rise jean I had ever owned, so it took some getting used to.

The jeans were quite tight in the crotch area at first, so I emailed the folks at Tellason. I got a quick response from Tony Patella , one of the brand’s owners. Tony informed me that the fabric, 12.25 oz. sanforized Cone selvage denim, will stretch where needed, but won't overstretch like lesser-quality selvage. The fabric stretches where it needs to and will mold to your body.

Within a few weeks the jeans did indeed stretch out in the right places and the fit was just as I’d hoped.

I gave these jeans some good wear time over the last 3 months and they’ve become really soft. The rise still bothered me a little, but not enough to cause any discomfort.

Fast forward to this past week and I learned that Tellason would be one of the vendors at MW’s Pop Up Flea. I stopped at the Flea on Friday and had the pleasure of meeting Tony and Pete, the men behind the brand.

I spied some dudes trying on Tellason jeans and noticed something different from the jeans I had:


Tony explained that this was a new cut, designed in collaboration with ACL: A straighter cut, slightly looser in the top block and leg, with a higher rise. Long story short, 20 minutes later I owned my second pair of Tellason jeans, this time with a fit a bit more akin to what I was used to.


Looking forward to seeing what my Tellason look like next year this time. If you’re in the market for some new denim, the real-deal made in the USA authentic type, do yourself a favor and put Tellason on your short list.

The Pop Up Flea

Michael Williams, you are better than Santa Claus, giving us all an early Christmas present with the Pop Up Flea. I ain't never missin' one of these things again.

The place was buzzing really active when I walked in at 5:30 on Friday. There were with so many quality vendors that I could go on and on. I have to have to admit I've become a little bit too used to NJ malls where most of the people are not there because they want to be, but because they have to be--buying new shoes for junior, new socks for Daddy and a new vacuum for Mama. This was a refreshing break from that scene.

Some of the vendors who stand out in my mind:

-Levis Vintage Clothing: never seen more LVC jeans in one place.
-Gitman: the shirts are really that nice.
-Tanner goods: the leather bracelets were my favorite. Huge selection of goods.
-LL Bean Signature: The wool jackets were standouts.
-Warby Parker: How the hell do they sell such kick ass frames with lenses for that price?
-Billykirk bags: stunningly nice in real life.
-Oak Street Bootmakers: Their shoes/boots screamed quality. Bummer they didn't seem to have their Beef-roll Penny Loafers.

You know the deal.

The fine guys at Riviera Club gave me a Bud. Hit the spot. Thank you dudes.

I had the the extreme pleasure of meeting Tony and Pete from Tellason. (Nice to meet a fellow paesano who is passionate about espresso.)

Now, I've been waiting till my Tellason jeans were good and broken it (3 months and counting) before doing a feature on how much I dug 'em. Well, now I'm going to have to do a double post because I became a repeat Tellason customer with my purchase of the brand new Tellason x A Continuous Lean straight fit jeans. It's a new cut of their famous Tellason jeans, designed in collaboration with Michael Williams. These beauties aren't even advertised yet. More on Tellason and that purchase tomorrow.

What a treat to be within earshot as Tony and Pete explained the artistry behind their jeans to visitors to their table. You can see it all over their faces that they whole-heartedly believe in what they're doing. They're not here for the quick buck. It's the real deal. Besides, you know you're dealing with two quality gentlemen when they offer you a shot of Wild Turkey before you leave. Stright out of the bottle. My kind of guys.

Best part of the event? Easily, it was all of the people coming together for the one common theme of supporting these homeland craftsmen who put their 110 % into their products. If only I had a foot-high stack of benjamins to spend in that place to show my support.

If you're in the area, a visit to the Pop Up Flea is well worth your time this weekend.

New for the Crew

I received the latest issue of the The Thread from J. Crew this week. The newsletter is essentially a big promotional flyer, but I found some good gems hidden inside.

1. Spring/Summer collection will include the New Balance 1400 sneakers in new exclusive colors. I emailed the folks at the Crew, but no word on the actual colors. I was told to keep an eye out for these new releases in the January/February 2011 catalogs.

2. A picture of the men's offerings for S/S 2011 showed a selection of men's glasses. The frames, to my eyes, looked like Moscot frames. A collaboration between Moscot and the Crew would be quite interesting. I myself have two pair of Moscot originals so I look forward to seeing if J. Crew offers the standard Moscot fare, or if exclusive collaborative pieces make their way to us. (I emailed the Crew to see if my eyes are right.)

3. 2011 will bring the first J. Crew store in Canada. Lucky for you Toronto. No details were available. Hopefully they add a Montreal location next for my good friends in Quebec.

Need a Cawffee, Need a Dollah

I'm really not a huge Starbucks fan. I'd just rather not stand behind 10 people ordering their venti skinny soy mocha lattes with a shot of hazelnut and extra foam while I look around at people with shiny laptops (laptops actually work-obviously they don't have kids) drafting anti-establishment poetry.

But I do like their Thanksgiving and Christmas coffee beans, which seem to have lots of spicy coffee flavors and none of the trademark Starbucks bitterness.

So I'm ordering a Christmas blend coffee today by chance, and the dude behind the counter, excuse me, I mean the Barista, knocks over a display with cards for a free weekly iTunes song. Boom, right at me. No big deal. So I help the guy out and start picking up the cards.

I take a look at the card as I'm waiting for my medium, excuse me, I mean Grande, Christmas Blend. The song is "I need a dollar", by Aloe Blacc, the theme song from HBO's series "How to Make it in America" from earlier in the year. I was a fan of the show (2 dudes in NYC trying to make a line of selvage denim jeans...how can you not?) but actually a bigger fan of the theme song. WHAT? I actually dig a jam recommended by Starbucks? Embarrassed, I slide the card in my pocket for later.

And there ya go...how a random trip to Starbucks makes it to Thirty Selvedge.

Enjoy the song.

J. Crew Holiday Event

A few weeks back I received a surprise invite to a Holiday shopping event at the new J. Crew men's shop @ 79th and Madison in NYC.

Tonight was the night so I headed uptown after work, not sure exactly what to expect.
Walking on Madison Ave, I saw a J. Crew storefront and a sign on the door that said "Closed for Private Event". This is it, I thought. I walked in, gave my name at the door, and stepped into the store. It was extremely loud and busy. I looked around and thought "this place didn't look like pix I had seen." Where was the men's clothes? Why are the walls white instead of wood? This is not what I expected. Just then I realized I was in the Women's store! Embarassed, I turned around and walked out.

Across Madison Ave, I finally found myself in the right spot. Immediately I could sense a different vibe. More laid back. More calming.

I was greeted by friendly staff, all exceptionally dressed. The store felt less chaiotic than the store at 484 Broadway, which I always find very busy and filled with tourists. The space is surely less cramped than the Liquor Store as well.

The layout is obviously the product of much deliberate planning. After one trip around, I felt the store easy to shop and navigate.

The selection was outstanding. The J. Crew Men's shops of today have come so far from the cookie cutter J. Crew Mall stores of the 90s. The selection of third party goods almost seeemed to overwhelm the actual J. Crew offerings. Tons of Belstaff, Thomas Mason, Imogene and Willie, and a few brands I had never heard of before.

The shoe section was downstairs. One word: unbeatable. The Crockett and Jones pebble grain boots killed me. Gorgeous cordovan wing tips and boots from Alden.

The selection of ties was impressive. Oddly, a lot of styles that I quickly passed on-line, looked much better in public.

Walking back upstairs, I sparked up a conversation with Mr. Frank Muytjens. First impression: Tall. Second impression: Impeccable style that comes off as being as easy as cake. We immediately compared Moscot frames. We spoke about the elevation of the brand, his excitement season to season, the re-development of certain mall stores men shops, and how he was very happy with the direction things are going. I congratulated him on his wonderful accomplishments over the last few years. A very pleasurable gentleman to speak with, indeed.

Got a gift bag on leaving that contained the book What a Man Should Know and a pair of two color tipped cotton socks.

An enjoyable evening indeed.

The Upside of a Flat Foot

See if you buy this: At age 12 I started wearing orthotics thanks to extremely flat feet. Pain in my arches and heels since I can remember. And this royally sucks, cuz I love to walk. Give me an open afternoon and I'd walk Manhattan top to bottom if I could.

I'm a bit older than 12 these days and the flat feet have now caused tendonitis in my ankles. Pain. Real pain.

What to do for tendonitis pain? RICE is the treatment. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Seeing that I gotta work to pay the bills (and a few treats me for as well), and I have two small humans, ages 5 and 4, extended Rest is more of a long shot than the Yankees landing Cliff Lee for $2MM a year.

Ice? Maybe one cube in my Knob Creek, please.

Compression? How do you compress the tendon, or keep it from moving around too much? Let's try a natural method: Boots! Boots would be a natural, practical way to do this. Now this can work.
After years of pain, I need the best compression device out there.

Tendonitis = Alden boots.

Thankfully my pre-order Alden Roy boots were shipped from the fine fellas at Context Clothing this week, after a long multi-month wait.

Last treatment step: Elevation. I'm hoping to kick these up on many a coffee table as I explain to folks my flat feet and tendonitis, hoping for some sympathy.

The Perfect Penny

Doing some research in my quest for the perfect penny loafer, I've found that there sure are a lot of folks out there who've become quite obsessed with this same task. Luckily, all of their madness has aided me in my search.

I haven't owned a pair of penny loafers since I worked at Marshalls in the Summer of '88 and bought a pair there with my oh-so-generous 15% employee discount.

To tell you the truth, I don't really like loafers all that much. When I see dudes wearing a suit/tie and loafers I cringe. But the timeless appeal and classic nature of these shoes has reeled me in.

I've been so taken with hunting down the proper pair that I haven't had the time to add any other content to this web log.

My search is not yet over, but here is what I've found so far:

1. Bass Weejuns: Most will agree these are the originals. Most will also agree that they've lost a few steps in recent years. Tried a few models on but wasn't thoroughly impressed. Vamp seemed too low. Low vamps kill the whole thing for me.

Ordered the Bass Dover, with high expectations, thanks to the GQ endorsement. The fit was ok, but the plasticky look of the corrected grain leather was horrible. HORRIBLE!

2. Sebago: Figured I had to try these to try out another classic. The fit was not good for my feet. Too wide. Too awkward looking on me.

3. Johnston & Murphy: The name of the model escapes me, but just go to the store or website and look for the most phony-leather looking shoe you can find, and thats the one I tried on. Holy Weejuns, these looked horrible. The fit, however, was pretty kind.

4. Brooks Brothers: The burgundy color was kind bland. Made in Dominican Republic. Fit was decent. Vamp was a bit low. Salesman couldn't find the box, which made me a bit suspicious. Had to leave them.

5. Allen Edmonds Walden: Best fit I've found so far. Beautiful construction and color. The shoe is a corrected-grain leather, but its not atrocious like some of the other offerings. Full leather lined. Comfy leather insole. Made in the USA. A possible keeper.

6. Allen Edmonds Kenwood: I like the beefroll styling on this shoe but haven't been able to locate it in-store yet, so nothing to report.

7. Alden Cape Cod Beefroll: Unionmade has some of these babies, but not in my size. Bummer. Very hard to find. Possibly just an urban myth!

8. Bass Gordon for J. Crew: Found these on the sale section of J. Crew this weekend at quite a handsome discount. The brown is not really the shade I'm going for, but I had to give them a shot, as they're made in the USA. Set to arrive this week. A contender?

There were a few more try-ons thrown in there but I can't seem to keep them all straight in my head. I think I need to stop.

I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experiences with finding the loafer that makes them as happy as Richie Cunningham at Inspiration Point.

Levi's Concept Store

A few months back I told you about a new Levi's store that was opening soon in the Meatpacking district in NYC.

Looks like its finally becoming a reality, as today I was lucky enough to get an invite down to the private opening this Thursday.

Some details you may be interested in, if you're a Levi's fan like yours truly:

"The event will feature a performance by the band, Vivian Girls!  The opening also spotlights the recent arrival of the Levi’s® Workwear by Pendleton"

"The store will stock a great deal of our limited-edition items, including archival 501 re-issues from the hard-to-get Levi’s® Vintage Clothing collection.  As well a wide range of limited-edition pieces from our collaborative collections and even special items unique to the store."

This is great news.

Can you ever have enough Levi's?

J. Crew S/S 2011

The leaves are still falling out there, but the J. Crew S/S 2011 collection was previewed this week. In case you haven't seen it on other blogs out there, here is the link to the feature on GQ.com

J. Crew Spring/Summer 2011 preview

As I've said before, I'm not a big S/S fan, so this part of the calendar never really excites me. Must say though, the collection looks to continue in the right direction of keeping men well-dressed in the American tradition, with a few brilliant touches from the 21st century.

On a more exciting note, I received an invitation this week to join Jenna Lyons and Frank Muytjens at a Holiday cocktails and shopping event at the 79th St. & Madison Ave location in NYC. Guess I'm gonna have to go to EXPRESS and pick out an outfit! Looking forward to this one.

The LEC Vest

I've become a fan of the vest again in my later years. Don't think I've owned one since 7th grade, but as they say, what goes around eventually comes back to thin your bank roll once again.

Lands' End Canvas continues to impress with their F/W offerings. This vest is by far one of my favorites of the season. Still lots of good vest weather left on the calendar.


Start scouring for those coupon codes...