Winter's Treat

The past 4 years I've been allocating 4 vacation days to President's Day week, and making a winter trip up to Montreal. If you're one of those people who whines and complains about the cold, then stay home.

If you're willing to brave the weather (not so bad!), then get out there and soak up all this wonderful city has to offer. From the charm of Old Montreal at the Port to the panoramic views atop of Mount Royal, the city sooths with European flavor.

$2.50 today, well spent:

W.P. S/S 2011

The ever popular Warby Parker rolled out some new styles last week for Spring/Summer. The theme of funky, chunky plastic frames that launched the company continues.

And still $95 ! Come on!

Here are my faves from the collection, the Preston:


Check them all out HERE

New from India

Last year, come end of summer, I was totally madrassed out.

Well, J. Crew is starting to roll out their new offerings and this one has my eye.
Sooner or later, thou shall be mine. Time heals all wounds...

Nudie, Raw

Came across this informative video on the making of nudie jeans:

To help me see better, my dear !

I've been mulling over a pair of Warby Parkers since I first caught wind of them in March of last year.

I was able to get a quick glimpse of them at the Pop Up Flea here in NYC last November, but the joint was so packed that I didn't get a chance to really concentrate on them. I took their business card, knowing I'd be back.

In the meantime, I added a pair of Shuron frames to my arsenal this winter to replace my Moscot Hyman frames which were two years old and showing signs of age. Even so, I was still intrigued by the Light Sandalwood color of some of the WP frames. I usually wear dark brown or black, so this lighter color was a welcomed change.

Just my luck, I found out in November that the Light Sandalwood color was on back-order. So the wait continued...

Finally, in January, I was able to get up to the WP showroom on 16th St in NYC for a view of all the frames. The space was airy & bright with a lot of energy. The frames were easily accessible for trying on and the staff ulta-helpful. They had some new offerings that weren't even on-line yet. (They even gave me $5 off for making the trek there to visit them!)

I was in and out in 20 mins, since I had my current Rx in hand. I went for the Fillmore in Light Sandalwood. I was promised the frames in 10 working days.

All in all, a great purchasing experience thus far.

My frames ended up arriving at my house in around 5 days! When I got them I was disappointed to find that one of the lenses seemed loose. I called the WP 1-800 number and they apologized and promised to ship me a new pair right away. And that they did, no questions asked. I sent the first frames back, being extremely satisfied with their customer service.

The frames are aesthetically wonderful, IMO. The size is perfect for my face. The color is light, but not too light to conflict with my olive-toned skin. They're probably not as hefty feeling as my Moscot Lemtosh, but I do like the color and fit better, to be honest. And at $95...how can you argue? Even better, a pair of glasses was donated to someone in need as a result of my purchase.

Two days later someone stopped me and said, " wow, those are great frames! I'd love to get a pair like that but I don't have $400-500 to spend. Those are Oliver People's right?".

Nope, I said, grinning from ear to ear. Needless to say, the dude was scratching down the Warby Parker name faster that I could get it out.

Looking for frames? A second pair? A weekend only pair? Do yourself a great favor and check out WP. Don't forget, they'll also send you up to 5 pairs to try on so you can stare at yourself in the mirror for a long time without feeling self-conscious around the sales staff (or maybe that's just me)!

Foul Weather Friends

As it goes, I went on a bit of tear during the last few months. Shoe wise, that is.

I had fulfilled my denim quotient, so what better to finish off the outfit than a sturdy pair of shoes. A&A (Alden and Allen Edmonds), as I call them, reached deep into my wallet, and pschye, and showed me how the big boys do it. Appropriate though, as my years move on and I need something better to support this frame other than a pair of disposable made-in-china, glued together leather shoes. This all sounds familiar to me. I think we've been through this before.

So what happens when you line your closet with the best shoes money can buy (debatable, I assume) and then old man winter throws at you the best he's got. Well, a man has got to fight back appropriately.

Thus, I give you, my shoe MVP for this winter.

Courtesy of Rockport. Bought in 2008.

Here's what its got:
-Waterproof
-Super soft nubuck leather
-Versatile light brown color
-Split toe styling
-Rubber bottom for sturdy winter wear
-Comfortable as hell.

Thanks Rocky, for taking the beatings this year while the A&A fellas wait patiently in the closet for a sunny day.

Yeah, I know, fair weather friends.

Phil's Day

Happy Groundhog Day. Punxutawney Phil is in the press again. I see this year he was politically incorrect, as usual, wearing real fur.

Anyway, its another winter storm here in the NYC area. This time its ice. Not nice. Another day for the nice shoes and threads to stay in the closet.

The 4 or 5 of you good people who read this web log (okay maybe I'm exaggerating...3 or 4) may have noticed I didn't have much to say during January. Or then again, maybe you didn't notice. That's the issue I've been mulling over for the past month.

I've been doing some physical therapy for the tendonitis in my ankle, as I sit there and count to 30 doing boring exercises I've been thinking, do I continue this thing? Does anybody read it? Does anyone care what I'm wearing today, or what I plan on buying, or what I bought, or who I kissed. What was that?

There are so many men's fashion blogs out there and God knows most do it better than I do.

So if there is anyone out there, what do you suggest? Go away and leave the blogosphere a better place? Begin to feature more pleated pants and tab collar shirts? Try out some 2 for $18 Faded Glory Jeans from Walmart?

What Say ye?

p.s. just in case you were wondering, today I'm shoveling snow & ice in my Tellason x ACL jeans, red wing boots, and j. jcrew jaspe henley.