What I got myself for Christmas

  Every year my mother gives me money at Thanksgiving to buy myself Christmas gifts.  I then buy the gifts for myself and then have her open the gifts on Christmas Day so at least someone is surprised.  This is what happens when you're extremely particular about exactly what you want for Christmas.  You couldn't just get me any Lego set or Nintendo game.  It had to be the exact thing that I wanted.  As I got older and started buying clothes, I would have been cruel to have my parents got out hunting for a jacket in the right brand, size, and color if I knew all along where to get it and didn't mind going to get it myself.
  Well, here we are at Christmas 2010 and I've never been so sartorial in all my life.  It seems that all I want for Christmas are clothes and clothing accessories.  I've bought other stuff over the past year, like an iPhone and a new laptop so I'm all set with electronic toys for a while.
  Here are the things I bought myself for Christmas.


Florsheim Cedar Shoe Trees

I've never owned shoe trees, but I recently bought a pair of Bostonian burgundy longwings at The Barn and they're nice enough to warrant some shoe trees.

Corduroy Mallard Pant from Rugby

I've been jonesin' for some corduroy critter pants for a couple years now, but they can be a bit pricey.  I've been kickin' myself since last winter for not getting the flannel lined lodge chino from Rugby.  But I think these are better and more of what I'm looking for anyhow.

Leather Man Ltd. custom D-ring ribbon belt


This isn't color I got, but you get the idea.  I went a little crazy and got the red roman stripe.

J. Press British wool hunting cap

I've got a guy at J. Press in Cambridge, who will remain nameless, who hooks me up (or at least I like to think that he does).

I've been on a mission to find a new flay/ivy/scally cap.  I've searched online, but a hat is really something that you have to try on before you buy it.  It's all about how it feels and looks when you put it on your noggin.

I'd like to add that I got all of these things on sale and with free shipping.  Cyber Monday and promo codes are beautiful things of great beauty.
Merry Christmas.

Happy St. Nicholas Day

December 6th is St. Nicholas Day.  No St. Nicholas Day ritual is quite like the listening of David Sederis' "Six to Eight Black Men".

Enjoy.

Horween Shell Cordovan

Video from Horween Leather Co. in Chicago, IL.

Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan from Horween Leather on Vimeo.

Blackwatch Trend Watch

I have been seeing Blackwatch EVERYTHING lately.  Sport coats, jackets, pants, shirts, bags,.....you name it.  Plaid is back and Blackwatch is leading the way.

The Style Guy

I believe this picture is where the trend started.  Glenn O'Brien wearing his Blackwatch mack.  This picture was taken a few years ago, I'm not exactly sure when, so it's interesting that one person can start a whole trend of companies making clothing with the Blackwatch tartan.  {If you don't think that this picture started the Blackwatch trend, then I would like to know your theory.}

Just because

  Last Christmas I knew Blackwatch was going going to be a trend {it's not hard to see}, so I got my father a Blackwatch flannel shirt from L.L. Bean.

  Well what do you know, Blackwatch blew up and my father got in on the ground floor {thanks to me}.  But my father has some style himself and I know a lot of guys get some their style from their father, it's only natural.

  Another point is people sporting trends without knowing it.  I think it's hilarious when I see someone wearing something that's popular right now, but has no idea.  My father bought a Filson vest last Autumn and wears it on the regular.  But he doesn't know that Americana/heritage stuff is back.  He just wears it.  You see a lot of old folks wearing things that are in style right now and I love it.  If they only knew.

  Interestingly enough, my family tartan, the clan Keith tartan, is very similar to the Backwatch pattern.  Turns out that my family has been trending for centuries.  I would suggest, that if you are of Scottish decent and your family has a tartan, to wear something with that before jumping on the Blackwatch trend.  You can start with a tie and work your way up from there.  If your family doesn't have a tartan, there are other options, you don't have to be a slave to fashion.

 

Keith

 

Blackwatch







Fresh way to tie a scarf

Now that a chill is in the air, a fresh way to tie a scarf.
 
Via The Sartorialist.

 

Wanna buy a duck?

I recently did some Autumn clothes purging.  I filled three trash bags full of clothes I don't wear, won't wear, and can't fit into and brought them to the nearest clothing donation box.  Parting is such sweet sorrow but we'll always have the memories, and Paris...

But there are some items I can't just "throw away".  A leather jacket, a gray suit, a tuxedo, etc.  But it's come to the point where I have enough clothes, damnit.  These chosen few articles are walking the fine line.  Too good to toss, just a bit outdated, or the fit is I really don't wear anymore are going up for bid on eBay.

I've bought things on eBay before but never sold anything.  The first two things up for bid are the tuxedo and the leather jacket.  I already have a tux and was given this second one.  There is no good reason I should have two tuxedos.  As for the leather jacket, it was an impulse buy.  I had wanted to upgrade my leather jacket from the XL brown bomber jacket I got a Sears in '00 to a black 'hipster' jacket (because in hits at the hips, not because a hipster would wear it).  For some reason I just had to have it...in August of '05.  And I don't wear it anymore, my tastes and styles have changed.  There are other items to come but these are the two that I've put up for bid now.

I don't need two tuxedos

I can do better

Vic Reeves Loves Tweed

  Sometimes I post things here just so I know where to find them later.  That's sort of how I started this blog anyway.  I liked idea of having a blog roll that showed the blogs I look instead of saving the site as a "favorite".   This way I could view the blogs I look at by "Date of last update" rather than check each to see if they've been updated recently (isn't modern technology is wonderful?).

  I came across this on ACL last night.  I don't remember seeing this before, but I thought it was very entertaining, even for someone who has no interest in menswear.  But for someone who IS interested in menswear or tweed, one could only imagine how exciting it would be travel the Scottish countryside in search of the source of Harris Tweed.  And to have your own personal tweed pattern made, that's just straight off the hook!

Enjoy.

Martha's Vineyard 2010

Ahoy, matey!  Let's set sail on the Island Queen and go to The Vineyard.



Alden Design Contest

With all due respect to A Cordial Churchman and the recent bow tie contest, Leather Soul's Alden Design Contest is a contest that you can really sink your teeth into.  To enter, come up with your own Alden shoe or boot design within the given guidelines and you have a chance to win the shoes or boots that YOU designed.

The best part is somebody is going to win and that somebody might as well be this body.  Good luck...you'll need it because I have conjured up the ultimate Alden shoe.  It's hype!  You might as well just shoot for the boot category because I have the shoe category all wrapped up.  After the contest is over I'll post what my design is (hopefully) or would have been (most likely).

Here is some Alden shoe porn for inspiration.

Anatomy of a Cape Weekend

  My wife and I went down to Cape Cod this weekend.  The weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky the whole weekend.  I took these pictures and video on my new iPhone 3GS.  As you can see we're getting pretty good at having a great Cape weekend. 
  Also on this trip but not shown are: three hours of beachin' at Chapoquoit Beach, biking on the Shining Sea Bikeway, shopping in downtown Falmouth, dinner at the Chapoquoit Grille (cheesey toasted garlic bread, New York strip, and key lime pie), iced coffee at Coffee Obsession and Starbucks, soft serve ice cream at DQ, two church services on Sunday, and a toasting marshmallows on a big campfire at dusk.

 Lobster Roll and Stuffed Quahogs at Raw Bar in Mashpee.  There's about three lobsters worth of lobster in that roll.

 Lobster (again!) with "how to eat a lobster plate".

 A ride in Uncle Paul's '62 CJ-5.

Ice cream with freshly rolled waffle cones at The Somerset Creamery.  That's my Blueberry Pie ice cream on the right.  It had pie crust in it and it was the BOMB!

A nice sunset at Chapoquoit Beach

And the ride coming back from Stop & Shop to get lobsters in the CJ-5