In July of 1973, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn issued a stern order to Pittsburg Pirates starting pitcher Dock Ellis, demanding that he cease and desist wearing curlers on the field during batting practice. True to his outspoken and controversial form, Ellis added several more every day for the rest of his road trip, stating that he simply “did not play good unless he looked good.”
One can appreciate Commissioner Kuhn’s concern: few positions in professional sports receive as much air time as major league pitchers. As such, when hurlers significantly stray from the Steinbrenner look, America takes notice.
To that end, in honor of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in 10 days, we present part one of a season-long grooming series on grooming pastimes in America’s pastime.
Under the Cap: The Best of the Worst Hair on the Mound»
The Oscars are just a few weeks out, and office pools are already filling up. Play it right, and you’ll come away with both a little extra cash and an excuse for watching War Horse. So to make sure you’ve got the edge, we’ve tracked down the house oddsmaker at the Wynn Las Vegas for a rundown of who’s favored. His name is Johnny Avello—and as it turns out, he’s quite the cinephile…
See what Vegas thinks of the Best Picture race»
Military style gets name-checked a lot, but it’s rare that a designer gets specific enough to name their favorite division. So we were glad to see Nigel Cabourn dedicate his spring/summer line to the Desert Rats, an armored division that spent WWII going toe-to-toe with Rommel in North Africa. (That jerboa patch on their shoulder is the giveaway.) As for the actual clothes, that means oversized camo prints, army green and one of the more rugged aircraft jackets on the market. It’s History Channel menswear; in our book, that’s the best kind.
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Fashion Gone Rogue
Practice: Nitsuh Abebe breaks down the scene and the status behind Jay-Z’s two-night-stand at Carnegie Hall. Legendary stuff, for both of them. [Vulture]
The Heavy Coat: Ten bloggers (including your humble correspondent) weigh in on their favorite outerwear pieces. It’s a good year for the duffle coat. [Esquire]
To the Letter: Now that it’s warmer, a new crop of handsome letter jackets from Dehen. [Selectism]
The First Star: Anne Helen Petersen chronicles the rise and precipitous fall of Fatty Arbuckle. Old Hollywood catastrophe at its finest. [The Hairpin]
Sometimes, four layers just aren’t enough.
This shot comes from Coggles in York, England, where things have apparently gotten cold enough that a gentleman needs a bomber jacket, cardigan, V-neck, shirt, tie and (presumably) undershirt just to walk down the street. And even more surprising, he pulls it off without looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
It helps that he keeps his baggiest layers on the outside, like the leather bomber, while the trimmer sweater and shirt end up a few layers down. They’re also pretty thin, so he doesn’t have to size up to accommodate anything as bulky as a puffer vest.
And, of course, a sharp enough pair of red shoes will let you get away with just about anything.
First, the obvious: we don’t actually endorse stealing cars. But still, it’s nice to know that in a pinch, all you need to do to escape your pursuers is shimmy the lock of the nearest parked car, reach under the dashboard, connect a couple of wires and peel out just in time to wink at the goon coming around the bend, gun in hand.
Sure, he’d probably shoot out the rear windshield, but we all know those bullets never hit anyone.
So in the spirit of nostalgia, we’ve put together a quick guide to hot-wiring, along with the ideal circumstances under which you’d be doing it. Use this information only for good…
Everything you need to know about hot-wiring cars»
When you’ve got the spotlight, it helps to dress the part. Case in point: the newly famous stars of The Artist, who are riding their status as Oscar favorites to a near endless stream of photo ops, press events and some of the best parties in California.
This snap from the Monday’s AMPAS luncheon is our favorite so far, showing off the best qualities of each of the three leads. Mr. Dujardin was the oily, genial leading man, always in evening clothes. Mr. Hazanavicius was the earnest scholar behind the camera, complete with a thin tie and a checked gunmetal suit that make him resemble the world’s best-dressed film professor.
And Ms. Bejo… well, she speaks for herself.
You can never have too many Italian tie makers.
So we were pleased to get word of a new custom house in Napoli that specializes in digging up luxurious 40-year-old silks. They’re called Passaggio, and their work takes both money and time. Each batch will take nearly a month to get through their factory—if you want it faster, go to the Germans—but in that time you’ll nail down precisely which dimensions, fabrics and finishing touches complement your collection of suits.
Their favorite trick is stitching together a tie from a single piece of silk (most ties are made from two or three separate pieces) for a lighter, more casual drape, an old-world affectation that’s increasingly hard to find.
They’re still a few months away from e-commerce, so they’re working by email—but nothing this good is ever easy to find.
See a few more photos after the jump»
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Fashion Copious
The Man Who Would Be Wing: A short Errol Morris doc about “El Wingador,” five-time champion of the Philadelphia Wing Bowl. [NYTimes]
Man-Sized Wads: A people’s history of Big League Chew, the bubble gum that pretended to be chaw. [Collecting Candy]
The Cult of the ’Gram: A long-form look inside Instagram, and how a 10-employee company pulled in $7.5 million. [Gizmodo]
Gambling: Poker icon Doyle Brunson reminisces about the time a West Virginian nearly shot him over a game of cards. It was a simpler time… [Deadspin]
Our latest smell test comes from Brooklyn Dry Goods, inspired by the musk of an antique rifle found in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As you might expect, it’s an offbeat scent, full of tobacco, pepper and unplaceable industrial notes.
But enough of the perfume lingo: it’s time to find out what the pitiless men and ladies (mostly ladies) of the office think. Here are their unvarnished appraisals.
We’d like to apologize in advance…
Nine ruthless appraisals of the latest scent»
This sun-baked polaroid comes from Band of Outsiders, who pulled in pop artist Ed Ruscha for their latest lookbook. Over the course of nearly two dozen snaps, he models a pajama shirt, an Acrylic Painting for Dummies book and a surprisingly credible gangster suit. Check out the rest of the pics here.
Awards season is here again, and with it, the reassuring sight of George Clooney in a tuxedo.
For us, seeing Clooney in a tux is one of the great seasonal pleasures, like the migration of the butterflies or the cherry blossoms of Kyoto. And in honor of this spectacularly consistent display of elegance, we’ve pulled together 21 pictures from the last few cycles, to give you an idea of what you can look forward to when he takes the stage for the Oscars next Sunday.
If at any point you feel overcome by the sheer volume of charisma on display, just look away from your computer and the feeling will pass.
As promised, 21 pictures of George Clooney in a tuxedo»
Zuckerberg gets all the attention, but the menswear scene just birthed its very own IPO. And Brunello Cucinelli is about to get even bigger.
This week, Cucinelli started the process of listing his brand on the Italian stock exchange. The result is that by May or June, a third of the company could go onto the open market, bringing roughly $175 million into the Cucinelli family coffers. It’s the first fortune made by the recent boom in Italian menswear, which has led the company to 50% growth in the past few years.
It also means the end of Cucinelli’s status as an entirely family-owned company—one step closer to the Pradas and Guccis of the world—but by our lights, Brunello’s earned a little payday. Hopefully he’ll use it to buy a few new castles.
Smash, Grab: In a remarkable show of restraint, GQ makes it all the way through their Katharine McPhee profile without using the phrase “legs for miles.” [GQ]
Mr. Hilton, We Presume: Classic Norman Hilton ads are the most #menswear thing we’ve ever seen. [Ivy Style]
Eyes Forward: The McKays weigh in on the importance of eye contact, both socially and professionally. If you need proof, just ask Phil Collins. [Art of Manliness]
The Ghurka Troupe: Our automotive sister site visits Ghurka’s brand-new NYC flagship store. Handsome bags. [Driven]
It’s always dangerous when you start taking style cues from Silicon Valley, but we never guessed it would get this bad. Friday’s New York Times contained an improbably timed ode to what they’re claiming is the new talisman of business success: the happy sock.
Never mind that the CEOs they’re trotting out are at least three years behind the curve here, or that the piece is drenched in PR-ready lingo, calling colorful socks “like a secret handshake for those who have arrived, and for those who want to.” (Again, that’s colorful socks they’re describing, not a Mercedes or a Breitling.)
But the real problem is the strange assumption that you’ll be taking style cues from tech CEOs, simply because they’re tech CEOs.
The trouble with the power sock»
There were a lot of bizarre spectacles this weekend, but they all fell into three basic categories:
Good Weekend: Eli Manning, Chevy, Mitt Romney
Bad Weekend: Ferris Bueller, Massholes, Bill Belichick’s sweatshirt
Weird Weekend: Tightrope dancer bouncing on testicles in Madonna’s halftime show
A little more detail on each one, after the jump»
via YHBTI
Stitch by Stitch: A gaggle of pics from behind the scenes at Oak Street Bootmakers. [A Headlong Dive]
The Info Fix: Checking Twitter may be more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol. We believe it. [The Guardian]
Meet the New Boss: Richard Chai steps up as creative director of Filson. We can’t wait to see what he does with it. [Complex]
And Just Because It’s Friday…: Here’s footage from an NYC Clash show circa 1979. [Dangerous Minds]
Earlier this week, Don Cornelius, the beloved host and creator of Soul Train, chose the Gunter Sachs method of treating Alzheimer’s disease: he shot himself in the head. Though terribly sad, it’s not at all surprising that men like Cornelius and Sachs—both unceasingly proud and dignified individuals who lived fairy-tale lives—opted to stare down the barrel of a shotgun rather than the dim, tapering tunnel of dementia.
Many under the age of 30 had likely never heard of Mr. Cornelius before this week, since his 22-year tenure as tour guide on “The Hippest Trip in America” ended in 1993. But any fans of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Run-DMC or countless other artists whose careers began on Soul Train owe a healthy bit of gratitude to Don Cornelius.
To that end, we present you with three of the most extraordinary moments in Soul Train history.»
Michael Fassbender had a fun Tuesday night.
So much fun, in fact, that he was escorted out of an after-party for A Dangerous Method for smoking indoors, waltzing with Viggo Mortensen and generally having too much of a good time. As you can see, he was escorted out on piggyback.
At the risk of libel, we shall assume that at some point he consumed an alcoholic beverage.
Naturally, a true man of honor never takes leave of his sense of decorum—but we have to admit, he sounds like a fun drunk. We’d even argue that, like Tobey Maguire’s poker bust, this is the kind of scandal that makes his reputation better.
We’ve got a few reasons why»
ROW ONE: Caleb Followill, Kings of Leon; Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes; Jim James, My Morning Jacket; Justin Vernon, Bon Iver
ROW TWO: Ray LaMontagne; Kyp Malone, TV on the Radio; Tyler Ramsey & Ben Bridwell, Band of Horses
ROW THREE: Samuel Beam, Iron and Wine; Dan Auerbach, The Black Keys; Devendra Banhart; Alex Ebert, Ima Robot
The bearded indie rock frontman is hardly a new phenomenon. Guys like Will Oldham, Chris Robinson and Jerry Garcia blazed that trail long ago (literally). Given the above collage, though, it appears the trail has been transformed into a well-paved thoroughfare connecting Coachella, Bonnaroo, SXSW, Glastonbury and wherever else present-day introspective rockers gather to perform before thousands of similarly bearded hipsters.
What’s behind the scruff…»
via Michael Schmidt
Behind the Camera: In honor of the Super Bowl, here’s an in-depth look at what goes into capturing all that game footage. It’s a lot more complicated than you think. [Deadspin]
Your New Favorite Sweatshirt: Nic Screws sits down with the latest Americanist sweatshirt company, American Giant. [Esquire]
The Cavemen Strike Back: A group of Parisian teens is taking to the city’s underground at night to… repair the city. [Wired]
Upping My Scarf Game: Dolbeau has added scarves to their repertoire, including a handsome speckled wool version. [Well Spent]
Your work style: impeccable. Your weekend wardrobe: masterful in the extreme. But once you’re away from your closet—say, on a late-winter escape to warmer climes—it’s easy to lapse into a few days of flip-flops and ratty tees…
It happens to the best of us (even a Style Guy or two), but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. Herewith, a few easily packed items that will keep you in fine sartorial form while you’re away in the tropics…
Three essentials for a well-dressed island getaway»
