A wise man once asked: “What the hell just happened?” And for good reason. There is value in looking back. It gives us all a good gauge as to what is good, and more importantly, what is not good, going forward. Sure, the “clip show” is mostly a cheap (affordable?) device to create new content out of already published stuff. But it’s also a good way to catch up in case you missed something. So cue the flashback music. Here’s the very best from the season that was…
It’s an annual favorite because there’s usually something for everyone. Casual stuff. Dressed up stuff. Affordable stuff. Splurge-worthy stuff. Shoes, suits, athleisure, basics, and lots more. And everything ships and returns for free. The one drawback is: It only happens once a year. But that’s also what makes it special.
Full review here. Italian wool flannel. Full price is $450, and when on sale for under $300 it’s a deal. So fifty bucks for one day in early August was truly bizarre. It’s still hard to believe that it wasn’t some sort of mistake. Nobody likes a mirage. Having an order cancelled isn’t any fun. Nobody likes a vulture either. Sitting around and waiting to capitalize on someone else’s genuine mistakes is no method for progress. But J. Crew left that thing up on their site for almost an entire day. So it’s hard to believe it wasn’t some monster loss-leader and done on purpose to drive traffic. I guess we’ll never know.
Hodinkee, the web’s leader in (luxury) wristwatch content, is getting out of the retail side of their business to once again focus only on writing. That means they have to dump their inventory. But that also means they can’t accept returns or exchanges. That’s both irritating as hell and completely logical (because they don’t want to play in that particular commerce sandbox anymore). So yes you could save an unusually large amount of money on a fancy new watch… but you won’t be able to return or exchange it if it shows up and it doesn’t look or feel right in person. Stock is pretty sold through at this point, so it seems to have worked regardless.
It might have been a “Brat” summer for some, but for others it was Magnum P.I. who acted as our style inspiration. Shorter shorts, bold print shirts, and a devil-may-care “relax, Higgins” attitude. If last year was the summer of Kramer-Core, with its chest hair and chains and resort-shirts and relaxed fit trousers, then this year took a turn for the more charismatic and laid back with Magnum.
When it comes to getting geared up for fall, why let the kids have all the fun? In this annual post we take some of the most common back-to-school items and translate them into potential pick-ups for us grownups who have an eye for style. A warning: Just like the parent or guardian who forked out their hard earned dough for your glue-sticks and colored pencils, be prepared for sticker shock.
Full review here. Uncannily like lululemon’s warpstreme fabric shorts. Note that while the term “hybrid” is often used to indicate that there’s some sort of swimsuit-style-liner, these don’t have that and are not intended for swimming. They’re not some swim/hike/workout/lounge short. They’re made to be styled like what most of us would consider a “normal” pair of shorts. Size Shown: 32″ waist/8″ inseam on 5’10″/185
The Bambino V2 Small Seconds is like a mash-up of the old 40mm Bambino Vintage-style + the original Small Seconds… and then sized down to the new, popular, 38.4mm diameter as demonstrated on the Bambino 38. Brilliant. And they’ve even started to go on sale here and there.
What a job by our man Adam, who in the pursuit of a more pleasant feeling patoot acquired a BUNCH of sweat wicking & breathable underwear, and put them to the test. There were two categories: Merino wool based, and performance fabric based. No these aren’t the cheapest underwear out there, but if you can’t splurge on your bulge, then when can you? Critics: “but but but…” …DoNt yOu MEan BUTT BUTT BUTT?!? Ha HA! Uranus!
Speaking of your lower half… Once you’ve got the underwear covered, (often) the next step in summer is finding a pair of pants that’ll be cool enough for high heat and/or high humidity. That would not be heavy jeans, cords, etc. These are the fabrics to go with when the heat is on.
“How would you like your eggs?” “Scrambled, off the blacktop, but hold the tire rubber from my neighbor who insists on peeling out every time he goes to work.”
Pretty sure everybody felt summer and felt it bad this year. We had our own 2-3 week stretch of ~105-110 here at the Dappered home offices. For those of us who prefer fall and winter for style (or just prefer fall and winter in general) summer can drag on. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t have opportunities to dress well.
When did Banana Republic’s more affordable diffusion/”outlet” brand start to look so good? Has BR Factory quickly become one of the best style-to-cost-ratio brands in men’s style? They don’t have quite the feel and finish as regular Banana Republic, but as long as you dodge the odd cheap-material piece (like a fully synthetic suit…) there’s some solid finds in their catalog. And while they might “always” be on sale for 30% – 40% off, they run significant stacking events often enough that more of us are starting to pay them increased attention. But that’ll happen, when big brother Banana Republic is full price most of the time. (Speaking of, aren’t we do for a Banana Republic Friends and Family 40% off soon? Please?)
Lots of different styles, sold/shipped through Amazon, and a quality that feels and wears better than most other brands in this price range. Shown Above: The Double Bar model in Crystal Brown.
Seasonal and delicious all the same. There are worse ways to look awkward.
Titanium’s darker, less flashy, and ultra lightweight characteristics have been popping up everywhere in the watch industry as of late. Cost-conscious brands. Luxury brands. Stuff in between. Sure titanium has been used in watchmaking for a while, but the watch industry sure can be trendy. And the wheel-of-trends landed on titanium this year.
Currently accepting free-agent Quidditch offers as well.
Finally someone figured it out. Yes they’re expensive, but these shorts have all the things necessary for a pair to truly qualify as swim/workout/hiking/adventure/whatever “hybrid” shorts: They’ve got a soft, stretchy, breathable, boxer brief style liner. They’ve got a drawcord to keep the waist secure. And the outer fabric dries quick and moves great. They’re built well. They don’t feel cheap. They’re comfortable. More than a few of us wore these a lot this past season.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal
It’s not too crazy to believe that soon there’s gonna be two types of citizens in developed economies: Those who understand the power of boring, and those who don’t and are in a constant state of escalating self-destructive consumption. The former will retain some semblance of power and their discipline will be valued by well built businesses. The latter will end in powerless ash, used and quickly discarded by bad actors, retail or social, who have no intention of being sustainable.
And with that, Summer’s in the books. Here’s to the fall ahead. Thanks for your readership. It honestly means a lot that you continue to allow us to borrow some of your attention every so often.
Part 2/3 of welcoming in the prime season for dressing well.
Turning up the style as the temperatures start to fall.
Happens only 2x a year. New arrivals, old favorites. Suits, chinos, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, the…
Lots of foundational stuff in this one.
$211 suits, $54 suede sneakers, and the Bulova Hack Automatic line goes back on sale.
New sweaters, boots, jackets, and more. J. Crew's first big sale of the fall.