midweSTYLE: Lost

Some of you are probably thinking, "Who is this guy again?" After all, it must feel like you haven't seen me in a month of Sundays. Where have I been, you ask? Long story short, I spent about four weeks in the smokey hills of North Carolina, making new lifelong friends and perusing the city of Asheville in a 12 passenger van. It was an incredible joy, but I'm also pumped to be back in Kansas City, at the Midwestyle office. And no, that doesn't actually exist. Or does it?

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The newest additions to my closet are a few Gitman Vintage shirts that I scored at a freshly opened Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th at Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kansas. With the combination of some opening-event special discounts and a few other tricks, I ended up scoring two for about a hundred dollars. Considering they both retail for around $165 per, it felt like Christmas. Or my birthday. Or like I was stealing something.

My favorite part about wearing or using something over and over again is to see how well it ages. My Vans, Baldwin Denim, and Duluth Pack are all developing their own characteristics that make putting them on or throwing it over my shoulder a different experience week to week, month to month. I love products that have the quality and longevity to take on a distinct life of their own (note: those are also the products I'm also willing to shell out more cash for). Sorry mom, I know I should be saving, or something like that (note #2: my mom reads the Midwestyle religiously. You da best, mom!).

In other, unrelated news, I lost my Timex and Corter for Japan bracelet somewhere in the state of North Carolina. That said, I find myself in between watches and without any leather on my wrist, the feeling of which, I must say, I had grown quite fond of. The search has begun for replacements. Like this. And this. More suggestions are welcome.

LASTLY: Because I feel like things are meant to be shared.

On Cameron: Kurabo 77's (Standard Style, $198) by Baldwin Denim, size 31; s/s madras shirt (Saks OFF 5th @ Legends Outlets, over 50 percent off) by Gitman Vintage, size medium; Authentics (online, $40) by Vans, size 10; "Preston" eyeglasses (online, $95) by Warby Parker; waxed canvas "Wanderer" backpack (online, $215) by Duluth Pack; ratty woven belt (thrifted, $4)

Photos by my good friend Jarred Donalson

FAVORITE: Leader 725TR

Editor's note: Here at the Midwestyle, we're fans of practical transportation and staying fit. Bikes accomplish both. This is a post by Cameron N.—student, model(?), thinker, no-longer-part-of-this-blog, and apparently, hipster. Cam, over to you:

The perks of living on East Campus are many. I'm just a five minute jaunt from class. I can be in the heart of downtown in 10 or 15 by foot. That convenience sounds great, I know, but most mornings, I wake up for my nine o'clock classes at about 8:44, throw on a pot of coffee, practice the bare minimum levels of personal hygiene, put said coffee in my thermos, and finally jam out the door at about 8:56. And unless I'm trying to do that painfully awkward walk-run-skip thing I usually do when I'm in a hurry, I hop on my bike. Living in a small-ish town like Columbia allows my bike to be my main mode of transportation.
And I like that.
Because I like my bike.
Yeah, I'm aware it is a fixed gear.
Shut up.

Specs: Leader 725TR frame - 58, Leader Trickstar steel fork, Cane Creek ZS headset, Nitto bullhorn handlebars, Kalin seatpost, Pake PBS saddle, Origin8 Pro Track crankset, Shimano bottom bracket, All-City pedals/toe clips, Velocity B43 wheelset laced to Origin8 hubs, freedom Thickslick tires.

Heather henley (Christmas gift from the lady) by J. Crew, small; "The 77" dry, 14-ounce Kurabo fabric (Standard Style, $200) by Baldwin Denim, size 31; brown leather belt (stolen from dad's closet); Mid Skool 77 LX courtesy of Vans Vault, size 9.5.

Photos by Zach McSpadden. Thanks for helping, guy.