Most Wanted Affordable Style – July 2014

Consider these to be power rankings.  Whether you’re looking for gift ideas or a quick upgrade for yourself, expect these to come around about once a month.  The potential best of the best, which you may or may not have seen already.  Agreements, disagreements, and additions are more than welcome in the comments section below.

 

5. form•function•form Field Notes Cover w/ pen holder – ??

These have been getting a bit of play on the FFF Facebook page as of late. Perfect for the guy who usually has something like 5-6 “working” notebooks at once, but likes to have one as his priority “this is for today” notebook at the same time. That to-do TODAY notebook can get lost in the shuffle, and a terrific looking leather cover might be the answer. Plus, there’s a pen slot to keep your favorite writing utensil from drifting off into the clutter ether. Price? Who knows. Looks like we might find out in the not too distant future. Made in the USA.

 

4. That Allen Edmonds expands the use of their “Merlot” leather shade

More versatile than their walnut calf, yet not as traditional as the burnished brown. Unlike Miles in Sideways, plenty of us will absolutely have this “f*ckin’ merlot.” Currently an option in only a few styles, like the Park Ave and Mcallister. Shown above on the Franciscan single monk, which are sadly now only available in black and walnut (found this random pair of 2nds on the Shoebank site).

 

3. The New Skagen Multi-Function – $134.99 ($145.00)

Class out the… arse. Many, if not most, are going to see Skagen’s new multi-function as a huge improvement over their previous (but still well-liked & for good reason) design. They killed off one of the sub dials, did away with the arabic “12”, and reverted to more traditional lugs (instead of the streamlined setup where the entire end of the band is flush to the case). In the end, you get a watch that while quartz, is a total stunner. Not much of a price drop via Amazon quite yet, but maybe some patience could see if fall closer to $100? 40 mm wide with 22mm lug width.

 

2. To look good, at some point, with a Statham-like haircut

Maybe you’ve still got all your hair, but just want something super lean & mean for the summer months. Maybe your follicles are… starting to lose the battle. Better to fire them before they quit on you, right? Whatever the case, if you decide to go this route, may you look as charmingly menacing as one J. Statham.

 

1. Suitsupply York Linen or Napoli in Light Brown Wool – $469.00

Napoli o Napoli, wherefore art thou a style that DOES NOT HAVE MORE OPTIONS TO PICK FROM IN YOUR AWESOME FIT?!? So. Many. Washingtons. Anyway, both of these suits should do extremely well this time of year. The all linen “York” on the left does wrinkle (it’s linen… that’ll happen), but man is it lightweight and breezy. Partially lined too. Meanwhile, the light brown (almost grey looking?) on the right shouldn’t be rejected just because it’s wool. Lighter weight wools do extremely well in warm weather. Wool breathes exceptionally well, doesn’t get bogged down with moisture like many other fabrics, and resists all that wrinkling. Yes, you want to avoid the heavy wool flannels when spring rolls around, but don’t reject a tropical-weight, lighter colored wool suit in warmer weather. Wool ain’t burlap. Just wish this Napoli jacket was half lined.

 

BONUS The New Filson Original in Black – $248.00

Ooof. Mean. As versatile as the navy? Probably not. But nice that they’re now offering this, plus a few other models, in black. Hat tip to the guys on threads for bringing this new collection up.

Want more most wanted? Click here for the top 5 most wanted lists from previous months.