5 Favorites from Eric Powell, owner of ratio/clothing
Sure it’s just stuff. But stuff can make life easier, more enjoyable, etc… Every so often we ask one of our favorite people to rattle off their five favorite things. This is the stuff they’d grab if the house was burning down.
Eric Powell is the owner, CEO, head guy, & top dog at custom shirt maker ratio/clothing. They’re one of many made to order menswear start-ups, but one of the few (or only?) to make their shirts here in the United States. Their custom sizing method hits the mark perfectly in-between too invasive and too dumbed down. More on how it works over here.
As is always the case with our 5 Favorites series, nobody is paying to be here and we determine who gets a spot. To ratchet up the difficulty level on owners and designers, they’re allowed to pick only one item from their place of work.
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#1 Imogene & Willie Barton Rigid Selvage Denim
“I&W is a small label and shop out of Nashville, TN run by a husband and wife team that used to design for the likes of RRL and J Brand. At $250, these are absurdly expensive and a rare splurge for me, but you can get your money’s worth since raw denim is best when you have one pair and wear them very frequently (like every day). They’re made in the USA with Cone Mills denim, and if you buy them in the store, they will hem them up and do alterations on the spot. I’m not quite a raw denim cultist just yet, but I’ve worn mine virtually every day for a year and they really just get better with age.”
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#2 Ratio Campus Oxford
“The Oxford Cloth Button-Down is just about as classic and timeless as it gets. Ours are raw, untreated oxford cloth, which means that they start a little stiff, but break in and have more character as they age. I practically live in mine, especially in the cooler months when they layer nicely with a merino wool sweater.”
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#3 Turntable.fm
“Turntable is a great streaming music service where users go to a virtual “room” and people take turns DJing. It’s a great way to discover new music that works a little like Pandora, except that you have real people (the “DJs”) curating music for you based on the intent of the room. I usually am in the “Indie While You Work” room while I’m at my desk.”
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#4 Chuck Taylors / Jack Purcells
“Ever since I stopped working in a corporate office every day, my Chuck Taylors are my go-to shoe. I like a classic white because they look just as good beat up and dirty as they do new. And, since they are fairly inexpensive, you can pick up a new pair once you’ve worn yours out.”
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#5 Evernote
“Like many people in my age range that grew up on a computer, my handwriting is positively worthless. I use Evernote for everything. It’s my digital filing cabinet, to-do list, bookmark system, and it’s great for taking notes on the go. I’m constantly thinking of things I need or want to do while I’m out or driving and this is a great way to capture those little thoughts so that they aren’t lost.”
For more on ratio/clothing, see the Dappered in-person review, the ratio/clothing website, and find them on Facebook. Random fact about Eric: When not making custom shirts, he can apparently make a mean grilled cheese.
Very Top “5” Photo Credit: Gunnar Bangsmoen
Jack Purcells/Chuck Taylors – If you prefer the crisp, clean look, you can also stick them (or almost any canvas shoes) in the washing machine to get them looking like new again. Just remove the laces, wash them cold, gentle cycle, with a towel or two, and air dry.
2 web services in your 5? Meh… Those aren’t “things” per se and you certainly don’t need to grab them in case of a fire.
C’mon. They’re his 5 favorites. Let’s not get too picky. I didn’t think twice when I saw them.
<3 Ratio/Clothing and especially Eric – never had such great customer service in my life!
I really, really love the Ratio shirts. But the nod to $ 250 jeans, the disclaimer notwithstanding, are laughable on multiple levels and undermines the whole value proposition of the brand. Yes, I’m going on a limb here, but let’s just say that even Warren Buffet is not seen in suits over a $1000 or so or in a house of more than 5 bedrooms. He easily could, but why?
I have to give it to Joe and Dappered.com for finding, and sticking to the niche of affordable, good enough stuff that is free of overpriced romanticization. If stuff like that begins to creep in, I might as well just go with the herd and start buying Charvet shirts… After all, they are only twice as expensive but have “heritage” ‘n’ shit.
The jeans are the most expensive thing in my closet aside from formal wear, but they really are my favorite. I’m hearing that Bonobos is coming out with denim this year made of the same cone mills denim for half the price ($125), which could be a great option if you want to venture into that territory.
I agree. I think that after a certain price point, you rapidly start seeing diminishing returns. I don’t see why Charvet or Turnbull & Asser shirts should cost as much as they do. Even if they are using the finest two-ply Sea Island cotton their prices are not justified IMO. They might counter that the fabric is cut by hand with scissors and button holes are hand sewn but does that necessarily make for a better shirt? Not necessarily…
Eric is awesome—like Ryan E mentioned above, really fantastic customer service! He sets a new standard. There are other mtm shirters that are made in the USA (Taylor Stitch and Gitman Bros. come to mind), but they are all at a higher price point.
I’m not at all put off that he included a pair of $250 jeans. While it’s great to get great looking clothes for cheap, some things are worth indulging in for a higher level of detail and especially quality. For some that’s denim, for others footwear, for others suits.
Agreed.
Dude, chill. This is a “5 Favorites” list, not a “5 Things Attainable for Every Guy Out There That They Must Buy” list. IIRC, previous Favorites have included things like vintage finds and heirlooms – stuff that obviously not everyone can obtain, even for a great deal of money.
And in any case, even the most frugal among us have certain splurge items, whether it’s a $100 custom shirt, a $300 pair of Allen Edmonds shoes, or a $500 watch. Sure, there’s more affordable stuff out there, but for some people it’s worth shelling out the extra dough for the “best” out there. For some people, that might be a really high-quality pair of jeans.
I like the picks. After that AE sale I’m still waiting for the cash to purchase a ratio shirt, hopefully next month.
$250 for the pants is definitely out of my general range, but Eric makes a really good case for them. If I ever get some money to spluge on some clothes, I’ll certainly keep them in mind (hello, lottery!)
Evernote is something that my brother has been trying to get me to use for years. I have got it, sitting on my iPhone, doing nothing. I keep meaning to give it a try.
As for the shirts, I too have been salivating about getting a Ratio shirt. My body is in, shall we say, flux and I’m gonna have to wait for it to settle on a shape before I can order something like that.
Just because I was curious, I decided to see if Warren Buffett’s suit habits are known and, sure enough, they are.
His favorite suit maker is Trands. They are Chinese but high-end and their suits sell for about $800-3200 so chances are that his suits, more that likely, do cost more than $1000.
Sorta kinda off topic but: On the subject of raw denim and wearing it every day. How do you avoid smelling like a homeless person with this strategy? Wouldn’t it be a bit safer to wear the jeans, say, every other day or every third day, and give them some time to air out in between?
Totally agree on the Chuck Taylors. Laceless Chucks are pretty much all I ever wear.
This is “Dappred, Affordable Mens Style” not Maxim/Stuff/GQ/Esquire and their “mens” lists with $10k watches, $800 bottles of wine etc, etc.
I come to this website for information on looking my best at price points that reasonable for middle to upper middle income earners.
$250 jeans? IMHO not realistic. $250 wool slacks? Yes of course.
Some guys(like at my work) spend $250 or more on tennis shoes and they are in their 30s. I’m not one of those guys and I come to this website to find ways to dress as much unlike those guys as possible without going broke.
Again, IMHO, jeans are meant to be low cost. The base material is readily available natural fiber grown all over the world. Even if 15 measurements were taken and the material cut and sewn by grandmothers in West Virgina I would have a tough time seeing $250 of value in a pair of jeans.
I’m done ranting. Thank you for listening.
Where’s the grilled cheese sandwich on the list of favorites? Meltworks!
Agreed, my wife whipped out the tape measure and when I asked for the reading, she paused.
Its always a bad sign when she pauses.
The numbers were terrible and embarrassing. In my very early 20s I had a 30in waist. Fast forward to married life, a son, the start of a career and my waist has grown like the national debt.
My goal is to slim down enough by the new year so that Eric and everyone at Ratio Clothing dont start laughing hysterically when I place my order.
Guster – Satellite. Great song.
I get what you’re saying. $250 is a lot for jeans. I certainly wouldn’t spend that much on jeans, let alone nice wool dress trousers. Heck, I hesitate to spend more than that on a full suit, if I can avoid it.
But once again, this is a 5 Favorites list for one particular individual, not a shopping guide, or a list of stuff that every man should (or would even want to) own. There are articles on this site every week about where to buy inexpensive jeans. If you can’t find affordable jeans, it’s not because Dappered isn’t showing them.
I don’t see why people are getting so up in arms about the mention of one particular pair of expensive jeans. Evidently Eric Powell thinks these particular jeans are a good investment, even at the $250 price. Evidently folks like you and I disagree. But it’s hardly something to start ranting about.
they don’t smell as bad as you’d think, for some reason. also, when necessary, toss them outside for a while in the sun. also, apparently putting them in the freezer for a while works. hey, I just report; you decide.
BenR – I wear mine mostly everyday (probably 4-5 times a week on average) and I haven’t had a problem smelling like a homeless person (my wife would have almost certainly complained). The raw denim fanatics tell you to hold off for a first wash for like a year, but I only made it five months and that was quite difficult for me. However, by turning them inside out, washing with cold water, and using something like Woolite Black, they maintain their color really well.
The reason they encourage you to hold off washing them is because the wear patterns tend to “lock in” after a wash or two, so if you really want to break them in to your body, it helps to hold off.
OnlyShawn’s recommendations are good too, though I haven’t tried the freezer trick.
Ben, I promise we won’t laugh! Regardless, we’ll be here when you are ready.
I kind of figured that my inclusion of $250 jeans would spark some discussion and some criticism. I actually agree with a lot of the criticisms, but my I&W’s are one of the things I’d try to save if my house was literally on fire. So, I decided to include them. I was a regular reader of this site before Ratio was ever featured and appreciate value in clothing as much as anyone. But, for certain things like jeans and dress shoes, I evaluate value a little differently.
Anyway, here’s my rationale: if you wear something a lot and find something that you are 100% satisfied with, then the cost can be worth it. I wear my I&W’s nearly every day and probably will for years. Before I bought these, I’d typically stick with a pair of jeans for a year max and I’d generally be dissatisfied with them after about six months. When I stumbled upon I&W in Nashville, I had a very hard time swallowing the cost and only relented when they ran a 20% off sale. But, I LOVE them. Literally love them as much as a person can love a piece of clothing. Are they right for everyone? Absolutely not. They just happened to fit me perfectly and were exactly what I was looking for in a pair of jeans. Ultimately, these jeans probably save me money because I’m not out every six months trying to find a pair to replace another that I’ve grown tired of.
I use the freezer trick – put them in a sealed bag first and pop it in over night. Doesn’t work for stains though.. 🙂
The white twill semi-spread at Ratio looks like a must have!
“I kind of figured that my inclusion of $250 jeans would spark some discussion and some criticism.” Eric, in all honesty, I didn’t. It’s your list of your favorite things. No problem here. I myself love my $35 – $45 on sale 501s, but I never saw the criticism coming.
I recently ordered a m2m shirt from Ratio clothing. It was a basic white classic pinpoint, but the shirt was anything but basic. The tailoring couldn’t have been better; I was blown away. I agree, like Joe, that it instantly became my new favorite shirt. Not to mention that I just sent it back to Ratio for some minor alterations/adjustments (faults of my own not Ratio’s) and the customer service.. or more over Eric, couldn’t have been more patient, helpful, & understanding. My ONLY gripe with Ratio was that I wished that they had more fabrics to choose from.. aaaannd cut to me going to Ratio’s site mid-writing this and lo and behold at least a half dozen new fabrics–niiiice. If any of you are on the fence about ordering a shirt from Ratio Clothing.. do it, it’s worth every cent.
Definitely, Eric was incredibly helpful with getting my order just right!
[No jeans comment was entered here] =)
Thanks for the top 5 favs Eric! Always enjoy reading these.
Oooookay. Let’s move on from the jeans question. I honestly didn’t think this was going to cause any sort of conflict.
For those of us that ARE interested in the jeans… there is a coupon you can buy on styleblueprint.com that costs $75, but you get $150 off of a pair of jeans. Do the math and that’s $75 off the jeans. It ends tonight at midnight. 6.5 hours left from this post… I think that’s Central. I’m Eastern.
Ugh, I hate the laceless kind.
The belt in the pic has a really cool vintage look, who makes it. Ive been trying to find one…Any help?
I&W carries RRL in their store, so that’s a possibility. But, more likely, it’s actually vintage. They have a section of vintage belts in the store, so I’m guessing it’s part of that collection.