Friday Wrap-Up: Day's Almost Over

You're short on time. It's noon. I mean, in half an hour, you'll be going for a long lunch. Then after a leisurely trip to the bathroom, it'll be 2 p.m. And we all know that that's practically the end of productivity during the week—not to mention Friday.

So, yeah...the day's pretty much over already.

Here's how you should spend the rest of it:

From our archives:

• Jeff's intro to fall fashion.
• Also, Vita.mn caught up wit Seth at NorthernGRADE and snapped some photos.

From around the Internets:

• We found out about Handlebar Magazine this week, and after being beyond amused by their about-us section, we were pleased to see some informed and honest writing on denim. Are you really "saving money" by buying raw or selvedge? Maybe not. But here's why some guys drop the cash anyway. (via Handlebar Magazine)
• Gilt says a quick rule of thrift is to measure shoes against your forearm. I was skeptical. (via Gilt MANual)
• An intriguing analysis on presidential style, featuring the hilarious quotes of Max Wastler. (via the Wall Street Journal)
• College boys, pay attention: It's time to stop looking like slobs. (via the Art of Manliness)
• Need hair advice from an actual barber? The women at Refinery 29 thought you might. (via Refinery 29)

And a story related to the Midwest but unrelated to style:

• A.G. Sulzberger, the NYT's Kansas City Bureau chief, is a capable journalist and an all around good guy, especially over Budweisers in downtown KC. Here's a look at a small Missouri town where gossip has been taken to the next level. (via the New York Times)

Finally, this is where we'll be this weekend. There ain't no party like a Pyongyang party, because a Pyongyang party IS ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY (via Kourtney Geers). Alright. Now, get outta here.

Gay Talese on embellishing suits off the rack

For most of us, it doesn't make much financial sense to have our clothes hand-made by a tailor. It's one of the regrettable facts of modern life.

Enter Gay Talese, one of the most skilled journalists of our time. (A lot of people think that his story about Frank Sinatra for Esquire was the best profile ever written.) Talese's dad was a tailor, so he's used to having custom-made clothes since...forever. Now, he gets his clothes made in Paris by the son of the guy that taught his father. (Gahhh—if only. Who does Talese think he is?)

Of course, Talese is hardly Midwestern, but Katie Roiphe's interview with him in the Paris Review touches briefly on his style philosophy. The article is about lot of things—most of which are far more important than style—but here's something to get you thinking:

"He is so beautifully dressed that strangers will talk to him in the street, that waiters and hostesses in restaurants will want to do things for him, like find a special place to put his hat. Talese’s father was a tailor, his mother ran a successful dress shop, and he says his first idea of how to be special was through clothing."

Then there's his post on Gilt MANual about how to throw some elbow patches and cuff-work on an old jacket to spice things up.

He says:

"I think every well-dressed man should have something to wear when he does not particularly feel like being well-dressed, but still refuses to blend in with the ranks of men who clearly care little about what they look like.

That said, this is really a knockaround jacket. It’s afternoon material; I don’t wear it at night. (I sometimes dress two or three times in a day.) If I’m going to the dentist, I might wear this, because I’ll keep the jacket on while I’m down in the chair. Now, if I’m going to have lunch with someone, I wouldn’t wear this. I’d wear a suit."

I mean, c'mon!! Not only is guy decking out in bespoke clothes, he has a sport coat that he doesn't think is nice enough to wear to lunch. AND he's updating them every 30, 40 years to make sure nobody else is wearing what he is. What a guy.

Our advice to you? Get yourself to the thrift store, pick up a wool jacket that fits you like a glove, then take it to the tailor and embellish the hell out of that thing.

To read more of Talese's philosophy on tailoring, check out Gilt MANual by clicking on the photo: