Some questions are better answered publicly since others might be asking the same thing, or, one of you has the perfect answer. If you’ve got a style tip, question, or anything else you’d like to pass along, you can send those in here. If you’d rather your question not be featured in a future mailbag, just go ahead and say so in your email. Feel free to hit the comments with other options for answers to this most recent batch of questions. Top Photo Credit: Tracy O.
.
Q: South Africa Winter Coat Needed
I’m going to be in South Africa for 2 months this “summer” (June-July). But that’s their winter months. So here’s my dilemma- I don’t have an appropriate jacket for the occasion since I live in Georgia and the winters aren’t harsh here. I’m looking for a warm, more on the casual end, a bit of a longer coat, and fairly inexpensive. I like the jcp quilted jacket, but don’t think I can pull it off. I LOVE the look of Bane’s jacket from the newest Batman, but I don’t want to spend the money on an authentic one, and definitely don’t want to take it overseas. – Cam
Looks like the winters in most of South Africa aren’t that harsh either (20s – 30s for lows) Also looks like Cam is looking for something more rugged than dressed up. Try a local Army/Navy surplus and strongly consider a standard peacoat if you can find one. Meanwhile, what about these?
- The Kakadu Iron Bark Jacket – $119.50 (not sure how warm that is)
- Woolrich’s Waxed & Insulated Blacktail Coat – $79.96 w/ ALSTART3
- Lands’ End Canvas rambler coat – $99.99 (and will fall with codes)
Q: You seen this Selvedge denim project on kickstarter?
Thought this was an interesting project dappered readers might be interested in. – Jay
$81 for made in the USA selvedge jeans made from Cone Mills White Oak denim. Sounds terrific. But… Kickstarter. Remember the last one? Antigua? They’re still delivering bags. Be careful, hoping the best of course for this startup.
Q: The perfect blazer gift.
My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up, and I want to get him a classic blue blazer. I want to spend somewhere between $200-$500 on the blazer. His old, current blazer (which he doesn’t like) is a size 44L. He wears a lot of J. Crew. Is there something that you would recommend? What’s your favorite blazer? – Amanda
This one’s easy, and the answer, while cliche, has the potential to be a home run: J. Crew’s Ludlow in Italian Wool. Hands down it’s the most luxurious piece of clothing I’ve ever owned. The wool is super 130s, so it’s incredibly soft & smooth, and the half canvas has a nice feel to it. Buttons are non-functioning for easy tailoring, and those buttons are brown instead of a shined up gold or brass. Looks terrific with jeans as well as dressed up. $388 is STEEP (lucky guy!), but it is available in a 44L, and you might get lucky and catch an extra 20-30% off $150+ sale. Otherwise, on the even higher end, there’s the Bonobos Alma Matter Cashmere blazer. Button stance looks a touch high.
Q: Orient & Dappered, sittin’ in a tree?
How are you consistently landing Orient watch giveaways? Did you sell your soul? – Andrew
Well, yes, but not for a promotional partnership with Orient. Back in the Scouts, this guy named Josh wouldn’t pass the milk down the table in our patrol site so Erik could put some on his cereal. I asked him if he’d pass it to me so I would then pass it to Erik. Josh said only if I sold him my soul, so I wrote up a contract on a piece of loose leaf paper that gave Josh my soul in exchange for the rights to the milk. Luckily, there was a clause that stated if the contract was ever physically destroyed, the soul that was being exchanged would go back to it’s original owner. Josh hung it up in his locker at school. At the end of the year, I got my soul back when he was cleaning out his locker and tore it up. But as far as Orient goes, nope, there’s no exchange of money to do a giveaway. And we insist on picking which watches get given away as well as the reviews will be honest for better or for worse. I think Orient likes the relationship and appreciates the feedback you guys give them (as well as the potential that you could become a customer).
Q: Fabric Shaver recommendation?
I have the terrible problem of the sweater pills that you addressed in one of your posts last fall. In that post, you mentioned using a fabric shaver. What fabric shaver would you recommend? I really want to get one, but I don’t want to buy a cheap one. Any help would be appreciated. – Daniel
The Lilly Brush (mentioned in the post Daniel references) works just fine here at the Dappered home offices, but if you want to channel Tim the Tool Man Taylor and reach for more power, the Izumi Sweater Shaver
Q: What should you use to care for leather boots?
I recently purchased a pair of Sebago Beacon Boots from Bonobos. Could you recommend a leather care product that I could use on these things? I don’t know which kind of product I should use to take care of them.
– Turner
Big fan of the Sebago Beacon. And full honesty here: Never put a lick of any sort of shoe care product on my own personal pair (seen above). BUT… Andrew over at Primer Magazine uses Saddle Soap on his Frye boots. Might want to give that a shot, since using a creme or polish on a pair of casual/rugged boots seems to be a little much.
Got a question or a style tip? Send them in here. Additional answers to the above questions can go in the comments.
“Shaving your sweaters” works, and works wonderfully. I took my Gillette Fusion to an old merino v-neck sweater covered with pills, and now it looks almost new. It worked so well I ventured to try it on cashmere… Same results!
Just go slowly and carefully, and make sure not to press down to hard.
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I definitely bought my Orient Bambino after seeing it here in all its glory.
Yeah, I think Orient may be making a very smart play here.
Saddle soap cleans but doesn’t necessarily do a great job conditioning or waterproofing. After you’ve cleaned the shoes with saddle soap, try Schnee’s leather conditioner or Obenauf’s heavy duty LP to moisturize and protect the leather.
Second, third and fourth Schnee’s. I’ve tried a ton of products and recently acquired Schnee’s per BenR’s recommendation on the Threads. I am now wondering where it has been all my life. It’s really a great product.
Also, I’ve read that long-term use of saddle soap can be hard on leather.
Which Orient is pictured? Thanks
http://orientwatchusa.com/cdh00002b
Orient Explorer (CDH00002B)
I like to use Kiwi Mink Oil on my leather footwear. It’s not a seal-tight remedy, but it sure seems to help. I’ve always liked Cadillac Boot & Shoe Care too, as a cleaner/conditioner. Not sure if that is one that is frowned-upon by those more in-the-know, or not, but it has served me well through the years.
I must say I am a little hesitant to use either of those on some brand new (my first pair, actually) of Allen Edmonds (burgundy/cordovan-hued McClains). I presume the Mink Oil would be a safe bet, but not sure if I should use the Cadillac product on this high-end of a shoe (high-end to me, at least – I fear I have taken the first big step in a new addition… err… *wardrobe direction*).
Is Mink Oil cool on something AE-ish? Any thoughts/opinions?
Leather conditioners are generally designed to be used on matte-finished, non-polishing leathers – for gloves, jackets, boots, and so on. They aren’t designed to be used on high-shine, polished leathers like that of dress shoes. They might work to waterproof the shoe, but they will also make it virtually impossible to bring the shoes back to a high shine. Some shined leathers have a plasticky sealant on top of the actual leather that will prevent the conditioner from being absorbed at all, though this is usually on cheaper dress shoes.
The best way to condition and protect polished leather is to use a cream-based polish like Meltonian. Mink oil can be used occasionally, though it will dull the shoe’s polish for a while after application.
Ahhh… makes sense. Thanks BenR!
I *do* have some Meltonian cream, only in black and neutral presently. Would neutral be fine on these burgundy AEs? Or should I seek out an actual (close) color match?
I’m guessing the neutral would work, but damn, I’m kinda nervous! LOL – I’ve used it (the neutral) on some cheaper brown leather shoes/boots, in varying shades, and it’s worked out fine. But I guess I’m just a little gun-shy with my recent purchase.
I don’t have any experience with that coat, but I’ve purchased a couple of LEC coats, and they fit pretty true to size. If you’re in good shape, you often have to size down from LE but not in LEC. At least that’s my experience.
Nikwax is great for waterproofing any leather footwear. Saddle soap will clean but not protect. I wouldn’t polish Sebagos, but if you’re going to actually use them on a boat, a treatment with Nikwax might keep your feet a little drier. Saddle soap will get them clean – I’d recommend cleaning them with that and then waterproofing with Nikwax.
I think the J.Crew blazer would hold up better over time because I definitely remember being told that the Bonobos blazers and suit jackets are fused when I went to the guideshop a few months ago. Maybe they’ve changed since then though. Just something to keep in mind.
A neutral polish will be fine. Colored polishes are the best for simultaneously shining and restoring color to a faded, worn-out, or scuffed shoe (or for changing the existing color, as in the Dappered-tested JCP Stafford boot upgrade). If you are happy with the current color of the shoe, there is no immediate need for a colored polish.
Yep. Thanks Todd and BenR.
Cool. I’ll probably hit these McClains up with a dose of neutral then. I’m afraid to wear them anywhere yet. Silly? Yes. It’ll fade soon enough, I bet. We’re supposed to enjoy the damn things, right? Not keep ’em in their shoe box. Thanks for the advice/tips!
I did the same with my Orient Explorer
no love for a bigger fella with the denim kickstarter, only going up to 38.
As for a classic blue blazer buy one from Anderson Little. They are made in the USA and start at $175.00 plenty left over for a romantic birthday together
Thanks for the SA jacket help Joe!
Thank you TX.