Blog update

We're getting a facelift in the next day or two. As a result, we may be briefly offline. And RSS subscribers may have to resubscribe. Sorry for the inconvenience. But trust me, it will be worth it.

New outpost

One of the latest additions to the Williamsburg boutiques is Hollander & Lexer, who is expanding its Brooklyn presence past Boerum Hill. The store may remind you of the Addams Family, but the clothing is more along the lines of Rag & Bone, Band of Outsiders, and the like.

More pics and coverage at Refinery29, Selectism, or Racked.

Save on one thing, splurge on another

If I were to describe a shirt as comfortable and cheap (at $19.50), you'd probably be guessing that I was about to spout off about some vintage thrift store T or a cotton/spandex blend undershirt. Nope. Instead we have our new favorite winter weekend item, courtesy of Uniqlo.

Now you can use that money you saved on the bigger ticket items:

Folk Wonder Belt, $83




Chloë Sevigny / Bass / Opening Ceremony loafers, $170

Gilt Fuse = Gilt Female?

I feel so deceived. All the hype about the new Gilt Fuse, and yet apparently it doesn't even apply to us guys.

Countless - COUNTLESS - blogs wrote about it. Nary a one mentioned anything about it being women only.

So when I saw the email subject of "We think you're going to love Gilt Fuse" in my inbox today, you can imagine my quick nod of assent. But then I opened up and bore witness to this crucial line: "...exclusively for women." I never saw this coming (though I probably should have, given the two ladies in the photo, and the fact that most of the hype came from women's blogs). Oh, the horror.

Bachelor Pad Heaven

Desire to Inspire is one of our new favorite blogs, especially after today's more modern take on Frank Lloyd Wright's long, horizontal lines and integration of nature. And as you read here, the influence of FLW will get us every time.

But what we really want to talk about is this: the playground / loft apartment of a French bachelor residing in Brooklyn. Wow!! A perfect blend of art, sport, and masculinity, all while maintaining the highest standards of design.

Notice how the artwork all hangs from unfinished moldings that are placed a few inches away from the corner of the walls. Also, note how long it takes you to realize that there's a television there towards the left. With the Dark Knight playing, no less.

The blue is simply stunning at first, and continues by giving a playful impression of the place. A man that knows design but doesn't take himself too seriously.

I just included this as an interesting observation of what the photographer is doing here in the shoot. In comparison to the picture above, you can see that not only have the chairs been rearranged, but so has everything else that isn't fixed to the floor. It appears that scrumptious spread of fresh apples has already been devoured.

Continue to Design to Inspire to see many more inspirational shots (yes, lame pun intended).

Goods on the Cheap

Stylish yet casual overnight bag from COS, good for quick getaways to the beach or countryside (about $205)

Last week's rundown

After a quick vacation and bit of a hiatus, we’re back - feeling reinvigorated and ready to post more in quality and quantity. First, a rundown on things we missed while gone:


After Aggregate Appeal contributes his take on the Obama Effect, Off the Cuff breaks down the Prez’s sartorial influences. Personally, I think it’s more of his age and physique than anything else (side note: I just went googleimaging for Bush in order to compare, and I ended up continuing through at least 15 pages of results - some truly fabulous stuff). MB has a little bit more critical perspective in his Obama fashion timeline.


Some truly breathable white canvas from Ace Hotel and Arkitip collaboration ($80) [ht Mo’ Classics]



We’ve long been proponents of Hong Kong tailoring prowess (hint hint), given their commitment to detail and high level of service. You know you can always trust these guys, and even with their extremely competitive pricing, their standards of quality are much better than mainland China or much of Southeast Asia. Will at ASW gives his take on the Hong Kong tailor experience.


Recently stumbled upon Punkreas, a Turkish music blogger site with the latest daily song picks. All of the text blurbs are written in Turkish, but that doesn’t matter – with the cool album art and graphics and the smooth audio player, just pick your genre at the bottom (in English) and let it stream. Maybe if we give enough hits from the States he’ll Google Translate that stuff into English!

So long, men.style.com

Conde Nast is at it again, this time cutting men.style.com from its portfolio (pun intended). Those damn McKinseyites have come in to point out the obvious, that GQ and men.style.com are cannabilizing traffic and giving Conde Nast a hard time in branding them separately.

So much for that great resource of fashion show runway coverage, as Garcon Mag also notes. Hopefully it will be transitioned over to GQ.

Fashion I could never wear but still looks cool (Part I)

Seamless white to black jeans here... so smooth, it's mesmerizing. Don't think it would have nearly the same effect worn by a blonde guy.

It came from Wasilla

Portugal. The Man

A meaningful thanks to Sarah for actually making me care about what town these guys are from. Not a new band, apparently, but they are to me, and, I reckon, to the big scene. Portugal. The Man (yes, "Portugal. The Man") is a bluesy, folksy, rock group that ventures between choir vocals, electric guitar lead solos, and sounds-like-Jim-James unapologetic wails.

Hurry up and listen to the forthcoming album here on MySpace, at least until the the record comes out officially on Tuesday. Two song previews here; the rest you will need to buy.





Thanks, yet again, to Paul Lester of the Guardian for helping me add another dandy to my collection.

Shoegaze

Sorry for the delay. It's that busy time of year. You know, the too hot to move, let alone put a scorching hot laptop on your lap for more than 30 seconds, time of year.

Speaking of summer laziness, I'm contemplating going against personal principle and making my first purchase of slip-on shoes. Always one to prefer a few laces on my shoes, I never jumped on the slip-on trend. Maybe it was the thick monochromatic soles, always present in staples like Vans (even if the rest of the shoe is customizable).


But Zuriick offers a nice blend of a more classic cut with contemporary design, shoes that are less likely to remind you of what you were sporting back when the NKOTB were peaking in popularity.


They're becoming more widely available in stores - just recently I went to Urban Outfitters to check out their Beata design. This is probably the biggest threat to my first purchase of slip-ons - a refresh of the classic desert boot design.

e-Magazine endorsement: Debonair

I've been receiving Debonair's semi-weekly emails for weeks now, but I've just now taken the time to go back and read through a lot of them. There's a lot to like here - the email's short length makes it a quick but informative read, Debonair's styles can be appreciated by all fashion senses, and, of course, it's free.

If you subscribe, you receive interviews with both big names (Steven Alan) and insightful up-and-comers. Most of this can be found on their simple website, including a guide to NY's best "style service" providers. But not everything is online - some is exclusive to the email subscribers - such as this recent deck shoe guide:

Dear Floid,

The following is in response to yesterday's letter. See previous post.

Firstly, thanks for opining there. Your points are (somewhat) well taken. And as the wise man recently pointed out, Jay-Z "don't wear skinny jeans cause my knots don't fit." But I don't share Jay-Z's problem, whether it's a case of elephantiasis or a need to carry large wads of hundos. And to be clear, when we're talking about skinny jeans, "slim" is probably the better term. Painting jeans on to the point of damaging your health or limiting a reasonable amount of mobility is borderline ridiculous.

The point is, most guys don't buy 4 pairs of jeans a year at $200+ a pop. Or even half that. But there is nothing wrong with updating the jean department in your closet to a slimmer cut when you do make your next purchase. Jeans, I suspect, make up half of your outfit nearly 75% of the time you go out casually.

Say what you want about the trend, but I'll embrace it while it's here. It's a refreshingly clean and often flattering look after what we've gone through in the past - "Relaxed" fit, bell-bottoms, high waists with pleats(!). Of course they aren't for everyone, depending on your build, age, and personal style. But don't knock its masculinity:



Oh, and even the WSJ has picked up on this one - front page of Monday's paper, as a matter of fact. Perhaps the WSJ once again presages the imminent peak and fall of a trend? The Journal correspondent even hiked out to Williamsburg to interview those strolling about the hipster capital of skinny-jean-extremism:

Guest Post: Floid

Our compatriot, Floid, over at The Gravy Train, recently sent us the message below after reading through the old Biased Cut blog. I feel obligated to post in its raw form, and I'll refrain from prefacing with anything. My response forthcoming.

Biased But:

First off, any guy wearing skinny jeans has weight issues and needs professional counseling immediately. In fact, whenever I see a guy with skinny jeans, the blood flow to my legs constricts (…don’t get dirty now, cause my zipper don’t fly that way hombre). In fact, I bet my fellow columnist is wearing skinny jeans right now. In his Pimm’s entry, he couldn’t even spell “masculinity” correctly. Don’t gaze me bro!

Without going too much into the history of jeans, Jeans became popular when workers wore them in the factories during World War II. If they all wore skinny jeans, we’d all be speaking German right now. In fact, I’m on page 82 of my long thesis on how being picky with fashion is actually a by-product of complacency and excess. Jeans were originally made (and still are) to be rugged and a little loose fitting for practical purposes.

It is because of these “tough” traits that jeans are the most widely adopted form of wear throughout the world. Think of all the masculine figures in American culture, they sure as hell didn’t wear “skinny jeans.” When you’re packin’ (or think you are), you can’t wear those aberrations.

Hell…not even JOHN MAYER wears skinny jeans.

So, as the fall approaches, do yourself one “biased cut” and cut those skinny jeans out of your wardrobe. Get yourself some real jeans and rough em up doing manly things.

By the way, is it just me, or is it weird that a “protein stain remover” was made by a “Madame Paulette?” Yeah…suuuuree…sweat, dairy, blood and/or vomit…

Floid

Tucking in the Tails

By now surely every guy has at some point gone out with their dress shirts untucked. Its ubiquity burgeoned at least a few years back - this NYTimes article even documents the trend five years ago, to the month. However, there are MAJOR caveats to the trend; a few basic rules that every guy should know but for some reason still doesn't.



It pains me to even have to write this, but as the ever-pompous MB pointed out, some shirts are appropriate with tails in, and some aren't. But it doesn't just depend on the length and cut of the shirt. Also under consideration are the type of jeans (tucking shirts into low rise jeans can be disastrous) and, of course, the occasion.

The difficulty often lies in the fact that many of the shirts guys wear to work are also being used for casual wear. And I'm all for versatility. But the likes of Brooks Brothers and other staunchly conservative corporate staples definitely don't have the type of cut to be worn with your skinny jeans. What we're looking for at Biased Cut are shirts that better cross the line between work and play, both in pattern and cut.

Miike Snow

No typo there. It's two ii's, but it's actually three people. Three dj/producers. The full album used to be on MySpace, but now only a few songs are left. If you're MySpaceaphobic, you can stay here and listen as well:

Those Hard-To-Remove Protein Stains

...just got a little easier to clear up. And get your head out of the gutter - protein refers to dairy, blood, perspiration, and/or vomit. But that's just one of three classifications of stains, according to Madame Paulette.

Will over at A Suitable Wardrobe has made a great find with his professional stain remover kit. Buy a few and keep at the office or in the car and go worry free when feasting on a monster dish of penne pasta or at an extended happy hour.

Reporting From Paris

Right now in Paris it's Fashion Week for Men's Spring/Summer 2010. Typically I'm not much of a follower of the runways. They're usually surrounded by a little too much drama and hype and often a bit extreme for practical fashion tastes. I'd rather wait until the watered down stuff reaches stores.

But if you're patient enough and want to spot the up and coming trends yourself, you could do yourself a favor by starting at men.style.com. Of all the faults of "Men.Style.com", their fashion show coverage isn't one of them. They've posted easily navigable slideshows of all the major runway shows for Spring 2010 in Paris now. After a quick look, I'm liking Bottega Veneta's line on display last week in Milan.

A great black and white gingham shirt with a very widely spread collar. The gingham is almost mesmerizing. The sleek black lines of the tie and peaked lapel jacket are accentuated perfectly with the crumpled pocket square.



The extra low cut of the v-neck sweater allows even more of the shirt to show off (unfortunately the shirt in this case appears to be a tie-dyed button down). V-necks are the most utilized items in my closet - a nice cashmere gray or brown can be mixed and matched with practically anything. Jeans and t-shirt, slacks and button down, shorts and sandals.

Summer Drinking, English Style

If you've spent any time in England, you've probably heard of Pimm's. While I haven't been there much myself, I've been lucky enough to develop a liking for Pimm's No. 1 through UK friends. Traditionally it's known as a summer drink for the elite after a game of cricket, while watching Wimbledon, or venturing out to the wide expanse of the country estate. Well, here in the States it's still a summer drink, but not for those occasions. At least not for me. A tasty concoction mixed with lemonade that's slightly sweet, slightly sour, and just bitter enough to keep its maculinity.

Pimm's No. 1

NYC Contemporary Art

For those based in NY or planning to travel here over the summer, a couple things worth checking out on the art scene:

Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim: As a long admirer of architecture from a distance, I've always found FLW's functionalism a stirring and refreshing philosophy. The whole exhibit is dedicated to his life's works, so even if you aren't a fan of his style, it's rare to see so many drawings and mockups of his designs all in one place. I was mesmerized by the feel of each of the designs, all while standing in one itself - FLW of course designed the actual Guggenheim building. I highly recommend spending a couple hours climbing the ramp on NY's upper east. Tickets are a hefty $20, but Saturday evenings offer "pay what you wish".

Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water

P.S. 1 Warm Up: Run by the MoMa, P.S. 1 is the Queens outpost for ultra contemporary art. What it's probably better known for is its summer Saturdays of world renowned DJ's spinning in this outdoor space. If you appreciate the day partying, which everyone should, then you'll love the day dancing too. Admission of $10 gets you in to see the exhibits too. Warm Up is also consistently ranked among the top 20 parties in the world.

P.S. 1's Warm Up Party

Gant's Upmarket Resurgence

Excited to see this post about Gant over at ACL. I remember Gant from my younger years, but over time the designer went decidedly down market and started appearing in every major (and most minor) department stores. Recently, however, this Sweden-based, Americana-inspired designer has taken its fledgling line back to its roots.


ACL gives a great history, complete with photos. Also interesting: Gant's teaming up with the Sartorialist to bring Gant to the streets of NY.

Concert Listings

I'm not as avid a concert-goer as I'd wish, and unfortunately I think some of that is due to general unawareness of the who/where/when of shows. Of course the source of your concert info varies by city, but even here in New York it's difficult to find one comprehensive and user-friendly list. Bowerypresents.com is usually the safest bet for my taste of music, but you still miss out on great venues - Highline Ballroom, Santos Party House, Central Park, even Jones Beach... The only place for which I've found listings for EVERY concert in the area is www.pollstar.com.

There are a few things to like about Pollstar. The main one is its exhaustive listings. According to them, they have 25 full time professionals building their database of worldwide gigs. Another is that it allows you to sign in and set up alerts for specific venues, cities, or bands.

If only there had been a Pollstar-like site for me to find out about this show, those hands in the front row could be mine

However, because Pollstar is really just an industry publication, it isn't that user friendly. Some shows have links for tickets; some don't. If you really want to find more information about a certain venue or band, don't bother clicking on the link - you'll have to Google it yourself.

Perhaps the sheer size, power, and resources of an industry staple like Pollstar is impossible to compete with on a global scale, but it sure would be useful to have a site that covers the major metro areas and is built for the concert enthusiast, not an industry insider.

Henleys

Just read a post over at Garcon Mag comparing Henley shirts to fanny packs. Granted, long sleeves may be a little too much of a cross between rugby and 90s grunge. But the short sleeve version, shown here by American Apparel and recently inspired by a close friend, is a comfortable way to spend the afternoon running a few errands.

Photos Courtesy American Apparel

Gray denim

Two weeks after picking up my first pair of Uniqlo jeans, I'm thoroughly impressed. Extremely comfortable, unique color, and they're my best fitting pair of jeans.

Photo Courtesy Uniqlo

If you live near a Uniqlo store (ie, if you live in Asia, Europe, or NY), check out the slim fit jeans. Another suggestion - go a little long on the length. The extra material helps them hang better over your kicks.

Summer plaids

Plaids - or shall we say madras - have been around for a few seasons now, but here's a look at some recent summer offerings. First, to start with what we don't like:

Photo Courtesy Brooks Brothers

A female friend once told me that even though she doesn't have allergies, she gets hives from guys in short sleeve button down shirts. A little drastic, perhaps, but the above darker patterns probably aren't going to keep her from reaching for the Benadryl.

Photo Courtesy Brooks Brothers

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece calls this the Madras Fun Button-Down Shirt. HA! Maybe the Get-Made-Fun-of Shirt. Zing.

Instead, let's perhaps take into account what the season is and suggest some fresher alternatives (and no, the Brooks Brothers shirts weren't for F/W - they've been on the site for awhile and now they're discounted):

Photo Courtesy Gant / men.style.com

A little bit lighter tones here that make it beachwear yet bold enough to go out.

Photo Courtesy Adriano Goldschmied

Again the lighter colors, but the double pockets with diagonal plaid/madras add a great touch. Also, note the sleeve roll - done to perfection.

Music update

Certainly not uncovering new music here, but nonetheless here are three worthy recommendations of (hot tunes / ear candy / sweet sounds / must-hear melodies / any lame music cliche) for this week:

Phoenix - 1901
Believe it or not, are neither new nor even American - they're Frenchies that have been around for over a decade


Passion Pit - The Reeling
After an unexpectedly popular hit in late 2008, they rushed to put out a full length album and it's proven to be great (and it's worth paying attention to the video too)


Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Pitchfork gave a stunning review, but so far I'm not quite as convinced. However this is a great place to start

Big City Discounts

For those in the NY, DC, Boston, or Chicago areas, Groupon offers great discounts to fun city activities. For example, some recent NYC offers have been big discounts (50% and more) on golf lessons at Chelsea Piers, massages, and various restaurants. See more details of past deals here. (I'm not getting paid to promote this - really - it just seems very cool).

On an unrelated note, now that True Blood is back on, I've decided that if I were a Shapeshifter, my animal form of choice would be the king cheetah.

Swimsuits for men

So, I'm in a bit of a bind. Last summer at this time I loved my swimsuit. I had just recently made my biggest and best purchase ever, with a new red/orange Sundek suit. I was tired of the cheap, boring, super-long swimsuits that are too often spotted at the beach - after so much work that must go into sculpting perfect spring bodies, why skimp on the one piece of clothing that remains? The college spring break Abercrombie look is exactly that - for college spring break:


But I wasn't going to Cancun in hopes of meeting 18 year olds. So that's why I splurged for this - basic yet vibrant colors, with length above the knees:


Unfortunately, the suit was soon thereafter left at a hotel while traveling through Central America. Big whoops. I sincerely hope someone appreciates it as much as I did. So now I ponder - do I replace it, or do I consider one of the following suits instead?



Yeah, I'll probably replace it. Sundek USA.

Downplaying the Flair

Cufflinks, like everything else, come and go in fashion. Recent moves away from the Wall Street-Master of the Universe look have put ostentatious cufflinks decidedly in the "go" phase. So, if you happen to own any of those flashy mother-of-pearl or diamond links, you've hopefully kept them properly stored for some time. But, that doesn't mean you should relegate your french cuff shirts to the depths of your closet. And, you aren't necessarily stuck with the very basic silk knots:


Instead, check out The Collar Company's colorful selection of silk knots. We just ordered a few, and at $7 a pair, they're a fresh, cheap alternative to the sterling silver variety.


Or, you could go the Charlton Heston route and advertise your manlihood:

The Sleeve Roll

For the longest time I could never figure out the best way to roll up the sleeves of button-down shirts. If wearing a shirt out casually, or just getting down to business at work, it adds a great touch to the outfit. Plus it's just comfortable.

Usually it would take a double roll (flip, then flip again), but on well-fitting shirts, there usually isn't enough fabric for the second roll up. But then I read about this method from GQ awhile back that has proven to be best. Good length, and never falls down. And usually I can leave one button left buttoned, so that it's just tight enough. If you want to go all the way up to the elbow, just adjust accordingly.

Summer evenings

Made To Measure puts together a simple, sharp, and most importantly, wallet-friendly class summer outfit. But instead of the iced cappuccinos, substitute a more refreshing G&T on the warm summer nights. Try Citadelle Gin, a back-to-the-basics Gin classic.

Summer Movie Preview

Just returned from seeing The Hangover. Overall the movie wasn't bad, but the script didn't really live up to the craziness of the antics going on. Thankfully Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis were there to even out the subpar deliveries from Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha. The biggest laughs in the crowd definitely came in the closing credits.

Worse, though, were the trailers for a taste of what's on tap for the summer:

• Orphan - an adopted innocent young girl gone batshit crazy, terrorizing and murdering her family
  
• The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - Jeremy Piven as a used car salesman with sales pitches that just weren't funny
• The Ugly Truth - chick flick with Gerard Butler teaching Katherine Heigl how to pick up guys, and (shocker!) they eventually fall for each other

Not a lot to be excited about there. The only bright spot was Bruno, which everyone already knows will be a hoot. As a side note, an interesting article here about Sacha Baron Cohen.

Doves Concert

Doves at Terminal 5, NYC - 6/4/09

For a band with two #1 albums in the UK and a current number #2 with their latest album "Kingdom of Rust", it's somewhat shocking that Doves aren't more popular here stateside. All the better for us, though, who can enjoy their shows in relative intimacy (ie, Terminal 5 in NYC) compared to some of the bigger stadiums that they play in the UK.

Doves at Terminal 5, NYC - 6/4/09

While still classifiable as Indie Rock, their sweeping anthems and toe-tapping ballads compete with any of the best big stadium bands. See Village Voice review here. If this is your first introduction to Doves, recommended beginner songs are There Goes The Fear, Pounding, Black and White Town, and the latest, Jetstream.

Keeping the pants up

Classy, elegant, convenient, and most of all, great for traveling. The Mont Blanc reversible belt is a quality piece of leather, brown on one side and black on the other. Choose from dozens of buckle styles, and flip the metal depending on your colors for the day. Not an insignificant investment, but considering it does the work of two and allows you to only pack one belt for that business trip, it's definitely worth it.

Suit Sizing

Yesterday I went to my local tailor in order to explore the possibilities of a made-to-measure suit. Living in NY, this option is usually well off the table - at least in terms of price. But I was visiting the lovely state of Michigan, and I thought a possible decline of the Big 3 and manufacturing in general may lead to a few price points within my range. Alas, no - MTM suits started at $1100, all for the Jack Victor line. While I certainly trust the quality, it's a little too close to the conservative side for my taste (I also learned that he stocks nothing smaller than a 42...!?!?!..Says a lot about the midwest population, unfortunately).


However, my trip wasn't totally unsuccessful. My tailor graciously convinced me that I don't necessarily need a MTM suit. Within moments of walking in, he immediately (accurately) sized me up as a 38 chest and 31 waist. Buonissimo, signore. Then, with the flick of a wrist he instantly determined that I was just shy of a 38, but nothing that a simple adjustment to an off-the-rack 38 couldn't take care of. Thirty seconds later, I was looking at $700-$800 suits with about $50-$100 in alterations, rather than suits at $1100 or more.

Moral of the story: unless off-the-rack suits are impossible to find in your size, don't completely rule them out, as long as you have a relatively qualified tailor. Many people swear by bespoke or MTM suits, but unless we happen to be traveling to Asia on business, it may not be worth paying the extra $$$ for a barely noticeable closer fit.

As for shirts... that's a completely different story. Shirts aren't easily altered by tailors and are better off custom made from the beginning. Bespoke is an option, but MTM may be the most practical. While everyone emphasizes the fit of the suit, do we not spend most of our day in the office with our jacket off? There is no stronger statement than a well-fitted dress shirt.