Tag Archives: style

How to wear green pants in Ohio

Seersucker, linen, oxford cloth, and brightly color chino season is here! You may be more familiar with its common name, “spring.” Perhaps this is true back on the East Coast or frat houses of the Southeast, but I can safely report it is not the case in Columbus, OH. That’s not to say Columbus doesn’t have its fair share of style and fashion houses. CCAD Fashion School, Limited Brands, Homage, and A&F all call the Columbus-area home, but such a decidedly preppy move as “Go to Hell” (GTH) pants is absent.

I’m not an Ohioan and one recent Saturday when the temperature said spring, I donned my faded kelly green chinos for dinner with friends. This is nothing unusual for me but for some unknown reason, it felt different this season. Thinking back, I used to wear GTH pants with reckless abandon in college and the first years of my professional career. The trend has since slowed. I can remember a crisp fall night in college meeting some friends at the movies wearing tan corduroys embroidered with chocolate labs. I loved those pants. They recently made their way into the donate pile because I haven’t worn them in two years. I wouldn’t be so bold as to call it maturity but there has been this creeping hesitation. The unbridled confidence of a junior in college with a boundless future has been replaced by the crippling self-consciousness of a man approaching 30. Have I run out of people to tell “GTH” or have I simply lost the desire to tell them?

Despite my trepidation, Jess and I proceeded to dinner. We were meeting two friends who were at the bar waiting for us. I was braced for the snide comment about my pants that would have made me smile in college but instead the first comment was, “Jesus, Zach, a tie? And a blazer?” I immediately forgot about the shade of my pants and enjoyed dinner. I did make secret resolution to wear a jacket and tie more often though. Perhaps I haven’t lost the GTH attitude after all?

green pants ensemble


Cole Haan Lunargrands: A step forward or backward?

The Cole Haan Lunargrands: A step forward or backward?

Nike sole + Cole Haan upper. Bizarre? Yes. Cool? Absolutely.

Nike bought Cole Haan in 1988. They have had iterations of Nike technology in dress shoes starting with “Nike Air” in loafers in 2000. This collaboration history eventually led to the Lunargrand. Nike has been working on the “Lunar” foam technology for sometime and first brought it to their athletic shoes in 2008. The Cole Haan Lunargrands were introducted in February of 2012 and to my knowledge are the first usage of the Lunar foam outside of the main Nike brand.

(As a side note, I’m not sure many collaborations are still in the pipeline. In a February interview with Cole Haan VP, Phil Russo, he told Sneaker Freaker, “Wait till you see what we’re working on for 2013.” However in May, Nike announced its intention to sell Cole Haan and Umbro to focus more on the Nike brand. So who knows what the future holds for these types of mash-ups.)

I tend to be more traditional minded so I usually steer clear of these cross-function mash-ups. I used to turn my nose up at the Cole Haan “Air” offerings. Dress shoes are dress shoes and tennis shoes are tennis shoes, right?

Cole Haan Lunargrand descriptions

From the Cole Haan Lunargrand launch page

The Lunargrands seem to transcend this mindsight and prove that equal parts Nike and Cole Haan can actually work. Bloggers have been eating them up and through some personal mental gymnastics (I need dress shoes with more comfort and traction for plant and site visits, right?), I decided to pick up a pair from the SoHo store while in NYC this past June.

So far I’m quite pleased. I shied away from more athletic inspired colors (gray + yellow) and decided on a traditional “milkshake” suede and red sole. Compared to Cole Haan’s other offerings these are downright stealthy, which I prefer.

My Lunargrands, Milkshake suede with red sole

The first thing I noticed about these guys is the weight. They are incredibly light. I don’t own any recent Nike sneakers but I imagine they really don’t feel any different. The flexibility is far beyond even the most broken in pair of loafers. They worked well for walking around NYC and they also served me well on a recent trip to Toronto. If you want to feel like you’re wearing sneakers but don’t want to look like it, then these are the shoes for you. But I suppose that has been the point of all the “Air” collaborations over the years right?

Florsheim Imperial Wingtips side by side with the lunargrand
Heel comparison

My new Lunargrands side by side with a thrifted pair of Florsheim Imperial wing tips, “gunboats” if you’re in the know. And yes, I know the heel is worn.

That being said, I really didn’t want to like these shoes. As I’ve said before I’m more traditional and don’t really like the cross-function mash-up. I think that leather soled shoes can be quite comfortable if you get a nice pair that are properly fitted. Leather is not always the most traction friendly, sure, but there are plenty of nicely done rubber soled, traditional dress shoes too.

The Lunargrands to me represent the dress down phenomenon but I sadly can’t resist the appeal. They are lightweight. They are comfortable in that familiar way. They were damn nice while I was on my feet all day walking around a manufacturing plant. This leads to a bigger question, is there room for progress in the world of traditional men’s wear? As a materials engineer I’d like to think there is room for new material innovations like the lunar sole but these things will always be relegated to the runway and the world of fashion. The old guard will never accept them but maybe that’s OK.

Traditional gentleman, sometimes progress is a good thing. Just don’t get yellow soles.

A Needlepoint Birthday

Earlier in April I officially turned the page on another year.  I prefer to take the stiff upper lip approach to birthdays.  ”It’s just another day” is a phrase that I have uttered over the years much to the chagrin of those that care about me.  If Don Draper doesn’t care about his birthday, why should I?  But I digress, I’m actually writing to talk about the wonderful gift I received from Jess, a needlepoint belt.
Mallard Duck Belt

Mallard Duck Detail

Tucker Blair

My belt is the Mallard Blue by Tucker Blair.  Tucker Blair was started by a Colgate grad that sometime in 2007 grew tired of the corporate world and decided to start making needlepoint belts (ref).  Needlepoint is type of embroidery.  It’s unique because rather than modifing an existing fabric, needlepoint creates a new fabric.

Needlepoint stitch example

In the case of belts, cotton yarn is stitched through an existing canvas weave to create the pattern (ducks, flags, monograms, whatever your heart may desire).  On its own this new fabric is not very stiff so leather is attached to back to provide the structure and durability necessary in a belt.

Belt detail

Needlepoint has a special place in the preppy world.  Preps tend to love a motif (ducks and flags especially) and needlepoints historically were hand stitched by a loved one.  The Trad has a great post on needlepoints that includes a funny anecdote about his wife finding the belt stitched by an old college flame.  While my belt was not hand stitched by a loved one, it was hand stitched and then purchased by a loved one.  That’s more than good enough for me.

duck detail

One last note, why are ducks so special?  Because The Official Preppy Handbook says so.  Wait, you don’t have a copy?  Fear not, I’ve copied the relevant passage below.
Excerpt from Official Preppy Handbook

Hopefully Ms. Birnbach won’t mind.  The handbook has long since been out of print.  If you’re interested in her work I recommend reading True Prep.  It’s something of a sequel or updated version of the original handbook.

Movie Style – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Two of my favorite bloggers, Skip at Alex Grant and Christine at N’East Style, have an ongoing series called “Date Night” where they highlight a classic look from a classic movie. I’ve always enjoyed reading these posts and after watching Christmas movies for this past week I was inspired to my own for one of my favorites: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Clark Griswold

The Look

Be safe and stay warm while tackling all your “exterior illumination” projects or however you chose to channel your inner Clark Griswold.

Merry (belated) Christmas!

NYC trip notes

I survived my NYC trip and the Snowpcalypse of Dec 2010.  I had to drive in rather than fly and there was a time or two while trudging my way through Essex County, New Jersey that I didn’t think I was going to make it.  I did though and as always NYC was wonderful to me.

A few quick notes:

New York pizza continues to kick ass and take names.  I think it has gone so far that pizza should just come to mean the New York Neapolitan style and all other types should pick a new name.  Sorry, Ohio that cracker crust garbage that is pedaled in Columbus is in no way shape or form pizza. I had originally intended to go to Arturo’s in the West Village but they were closed.  A quick check of Yelp revealed Pizza Mezzaluna was just a block away. I think the coal fired oven is the secret to the tastiness.

Katzinger’s in Columbus could hold its own in New York.  I’m not saying it would be the best or would necessarily stand out, but I think it could carve out a little niche.

Several stores and shops contributed to the absolute destruction of my wallet, but Jack Spade was my favorite.  His SoHo shop is tiny but I think I could have spent the better part of a day in there.

I wish there was a dark, sophisticated bar like Ward III in Columbus.  I’m still on the look out and I think there are some that have some elements but not all of them (Elevator, Barrel 44).  I’m open to suggestions Cbusrs!

Happy New Year everyone!

Simple and Awesome

(via Luxist)

Simple and awesome.

That is the only way I can think to describe the storefront of the new Barbour shop in Soho, NYC.  Is that font Helvetica?  I’m not an expert but I’d be shocked if it wasn’t.

My shopping list was already borderline obscene when I saw the announcement of this store on Luxist the other week but my cohort and I almost immediately added it to our list anyway.  The classic Bedale and Beaufort jackets have always been favorites but I’ve never pulled the trigger.  I’ve never been to a Barbour store though either.

Pray for my wallet.  It won’t be safe when I visit NYC later this month.

Helvetica

I’m suddenly very aware of the typefaces used around me.  A wonderful film and I highly recommend it if you have even a fleeting interest in design.

I wish I could dress like…

Skip Brooks who blogs over at Alex Grant: http://alexandergrant.blogspot.com/

Skip has been putting together some suggestions for Fall that are spot on.  Part of me wishes we could shrug off this last gasp of warm weather and slip into a nice, brisk Fall just for the look.

My favorites:

LL Bean style

J Crew style

You can find them all here.

Rediscovering the Bean Blucher

I received my LL Bean Blucher Mocs as a Christmas gift in 2006. They received a lot of wear at first but I always favored my boat shoes in the end. Since leaving my well worn and much loved boat shoes in a rental car on a recent vacation, I’ve rediscovered my Bean Bluchers. Like a good ball cap and so many other classic items, they only get better with age and wear.

bean-blucher

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Prefab Homes

Prefabs homes are nothing new.  A prefab home is simply one that has the major components prefabricated ahead of time away from the build site and then finally assembly takes place on the actual home site.  This has been around for a long time in the form of modular or manufactured homes.  I remember growing up there was always one builder who had a manufactured home display at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh.  These were typically marketed as a step up from a mobile home.  On the other hand, the term “prefab” implies a more modern, stylish, green, and unfortunately more expensive home.

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