Uniqlo U. “I can’t say enough how much I appreciate being able to populate
my wardrobe with really great, minimalist stuff for very little money. I picked up a handful of pieces from
the two seasons of Uniqlo x Lemaire, and now that it looks like a full-time partnership, I’m going to keep
it going. For every paycheck-swallowing piece I stupidly buy, it’s really nice to know I can match them
seamlessly with something affordable. They just dropped a new shipment today, so get on it.”
—Geoff
Rynex
Layers. “I’m prepared for winter this year. Thanks in part
to this L.L.Bean
jacket I picked up on the way to Montreal last winter. It was a last-minute trip and it was 20 below. I
didn’t think my peacoat alone would cut it, and I was right. But I was nervous that I was sacrificing
style for function. There I was wrong. The collar props up nicely when worn under the peacoat and actually
gives the look a little edge. Or as much edge as you can accomplish at 20 below.”
—Nathan
Wahl
Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash. “The wife picked this stuff up over the
weekend and put it in our shower—a recurring phenomenon that has done wonders for my hygiene over the
years—and it is indeed fantastic, as advertised. Especially because it smells good. And also cleans good.
Which is to say this stuff is good. If you’re looking to change up your grooming routine for winter, I’d
give this a shot. Also, we’ve got more on that in our
Winter Style Guide, launching
today.”
—Najib Benouar
A.P.C. Ethan Ankle Boot. “When fall rolls around, my mind goes to footwear.
Now that I am out of college and looking to spruce up my wardrobe, I have my eyes set on this suede Chelsea
boot. Buying anything fresh out of college is an investment. I need something I can get mileage out of both
in style and durability. This whiskey-brown Chelsea can be the anchor of a wardrobe. They will look sharp
under cords, tweed, jeans—virtually every pair of pants I have in my closet at the moment. The genuine
calfskin leather and reinforced sole mean they’ll endure a hell of a lot of wear. Denver’s astonishingly
warm 50-degree fall/winter days will be missed, but I was born and raised just outside of Chicago. These
boots won’t get me through knee-high snow, but I’ll pick these up before too long and—like every other
year—blissfully ignore the inevitable.”
—Nick Anderson
Appreciating Leather Things. “I’m currently writing this paragraph from Fez,
Morocco, a city known for its large and labyrinthine walled medina. It’s an exhausting place—an
awe-and-headache-inducing combination of sights, smells, occasional donkey crossings and frequent attempts
on the part of locals to get you to spend money. I sort of hate it; I sort of love it. Anyway. The other day
we were walking around looking for an old tannery—they’re famous for those here—and a self-proclaimed
‘guardian of the tannery’ took us on a little abbreviated tour of one. The ground was littered in hair
from sheep. Skins were being dunked in pools of brownish liquid—we later learned it was pigeon poop—then
dunked in another pool of cloudy gray liquid, then spun to dry on this large wheel. It smelled like shit and
death and ammonia and only slightly of leather. To be honest, I felt a little bit woozy. But walking back
out and returning to stall upon stall of leather goods—bags and shoes and purses and duffels and wallets
and belts—it struck me how rarely we have the opportunity to see where something’s made nowadays. And
that felt worth the guilt-induced tip I paid for the two-minute tour. If anything, it’s given me a far
greater appreciation of my favorite boots.”
—Sam Eichner