midweSTYLE: Double down

Let's dish out another take on wearing a double-breasted jacket today, yeah? Cam brought his game with a Barena find last week, and I'm continuing with an Aspesi gem.

This is my first double-breasted jacket, let alone my first year-round + Italian designer jacket. I added in plaid shirt, thrifty slim carpenter pants, leopard-print hat and Nike Safari sneakers. So many red flags, styles clashing and seasons colliding in one outfit. But I was comfortable and in a hurry to meet up with Yewon Kim to snap some photos. Be warned when you meet up with Yewon: She's in a league of her own.

Ladies, take note of Yewon's outfits. Guys, take note of Yewon's outfits. Everyone, follow the Yewon.

Story time on the wine-stained trousers: These Levi's slim carpenter pants are favorites because of the lore behind them. A halloween-plus-birthday party was thrown at my house in Logan Square last year.  I remember neither my costume nor the song, but I swatted a wine glass out of the hands of some white girl with bangs (or rather her flailing arms swatted me.) The wine glass splattered and shattered on my computer and all over my pants. The white girl with bangs didn't skip a beat and kept on dancing. The computer spluttered out, however, and a part of me died that night. The following day, I took it to the Apple Store, where they took a look and said, "Well, we tried to turn it on, but it smelled like wine and beer. It's toast, bro." 

Let's review: My computer smells not just like "alcohol,"  but specifically, "wine and beer." Noted, Genius Bar guy. My computer smelled like booze, I GET IT.

A day later, I emptied my bank account to get a new laptop. 'Cuz Internet. A week later, I finally washed my wine-splattered carpenter pants. But the stains remain...and somewhere I think I still have that wine-logged laptop, too. 

 Photography by Yewon Kim

On Jeff: Double-breasted cotton blazer by Aspesi from Mr. Porter; checkered button-down by A.P.C.; carpenter pants by Levi's; Air Safari sneakers by Nike from St. Alfreds in Chicago; five-panel cap by Reed Space + Publish from St. Alfreds in Chicago; frames by Warby Parker.

MIDWESTYLE: Young Folks

This summer, an itinerant photographer from Birmingham, AL, found himself in Chicago. His name was Rob Culpepper, and like good photographers do, he started documenting whatever struck his curiosity in the cityscape. His talent and and thoughtful eye were immediately apparent, and we quickly folded him into our ragtag band of Logan Square rabble-rousers. It goes without saying that we were sad to see him head South at summer's end like a migrating bird. But before he left, he set up a series of  meaningful portrait sessions with those of us who stayed behind.

For now, we'll let these pictures speak for themselves. But Seth will chime in with more on Rob and his story next week.

One of my finds over in Europe this past year was this "Little People" shirt by Folk at their Brick Lane store in London. You know the drill: When you travel and love the city, the people and the beat of the drum, you want to bring back something that reminds you of your time in that place. (Cue collective "awww.") I really dig Folk's aesthetic in that they make simple clothing with playfully quirky details, like two little tribal people holding hands in random placement.

On Jeff: "Little People" overshirt by Folk; short-sleeve chambray button-down chambray by Apolis; cargo trousers by Levi's; watch by Timex; chunky wingtips by Walk-Over Shoes.

Photography by Rob Culpepper.

DETAILS Magazine: A Guide for Dreary Winter

Winter is depressing enough.

Don't be like those babes over there all dressed in black and gloomy. 

The great folks over at Details Magazine asked us to do a series of "Daily Details" posts this month. We gladly tightened our belts, wiped our eggnog-mustaches away, and accepted the invitation.

Seth kicked things off on a how to stand out in a sea of black North Face parkas and Moncler puffy coats with "How to dress for freezing-cold days." Keep an eye out for the next three.

On Jeff: "K.C." wool fitted baseball hat by Baldwin Denim; grey wool scarf by Pendleton; red puffer jacket by Patagonia; obnoxious plaid button-down by Gant Rugger; white denim by A.P.C.; neon-laced desert boots by Clark's. Above: "Bedale" waxed jacket by Barbour.

On Seth: thrifted black pea coat by Sterlingwear of Boston; striped shoulder-button sweater by ASOS; chambray trousers by Levi's; shearling-lined boots by L.L. Bean; yellow knit cap; plaid scarf; and his grandfather's custom-tailored chamois and leather driving gloves.

Photos by Carolina Mariana Rodriguez.

midweSTYLE: On the MKT Trail

We live in a day and age where our lives our dominated by choices. We wake up, decide where to get our coffee, what to eat for lunch, what to watch on TV, where to get our haircut, etc. When it comes to denim, we're blessed with luxury of a few dozen purchase-worthy brands. Take your pick: Baldwin, Rogue Territory, Tellason, Left Field, A.P.C., Kicking Mule Workshop, Imogene + Willie, Apolis and so on and so forth. It's a little crazy to think that when we turn back the clock a few decades, this vast sea of quality constructed jeans is reduced to just one stand-out brand. I think you know where I'm going with this. Levi Strauss and Co. has been the king of denim since they started churning out their signature 501's at the turn of the 20th century. And there's no garment more iconic in the gritty subcultures of America than the Trucker jacket. Just because we live our lives in the indigo of a new brand doesn't mean we have to forget who invented the wheel.

These black 501s were my Dad's. They're some of my favorite jeans in terms of fit. They're a straight leg that's slim through the thigh and they have a higher rise that sits at my hips. That is, of course, where pants are supposed to sit. Not that a low rise is bad. It's just a little less natural, in terms of your body's dimensions. Your legs begin at your hips. Conversely, that's where your torso ends. Dropping the rise means that we're visually elongating our torso, thus shortening the appearance of our legs. For some, that's the desired effect. Other times, it can look goofy. It's a subtle thing, but hey, life is in the details.

Something about a black tie makes a man feel alive. Not to mention, a man's best accessory is always his facial hair. Or if you don't have any, I guess your best accessory is your awesome personality, or something like that.

Levi's branding is spot on. And it looks even better after a few decades of wear and tear. The jacket was an eBay acquisition. Note: half of my closet is comprised of eBay acquisitions. Also, the presence of white tube socks denotes #swag.

On Cameron: vintage Trucker jacket by Levi's; heather hoody by American Apparel; vintage white OCBD by Gant; black tie by J.Crew; black leather belt (stolen from dad); old black 501s (stolen from dad) by Levi's; military watch by Timex for J.Crew; black PTBs by Florsheim Imperial.

Photography by Mallory Wiegers.

midweSTYLE: Desert tones

Lately, I've been into this website called, "The Color Collective." I've been reading this blog for a little over a year. It's a huge source of inspiration in my presentation. Essentially, it's a simple blog with various runway images, fashion photography, illustrations and landscapes all neatly complemented with highlighted colors from the image.

I usually like what I wear to reflect a mood, a theme, a story, a tone. The Color Collective picks those ideas out and translates them to workable color stories. Give it a try. I did with this post. Granted, most of the images are of women, but let's get over that and source their inspiration, shall we?

From behind, it's a field jacket, grey jeans and desert boots. From the front, it's a scoop-neck, slub-knit tee and a draping open cardigan. A neat contrast from different angles. This is another one of my go-to outfits for this fall. It's relaxed but not boring.

My thrifted, dirty canvas and leather backpack has come a long way from undergrad, especially for being such a great three dollar find my sophomore year in Kansas City. It's a very understated, cool backpack: nothing fancy, minimal padding, no laptop sleeve. It's like a broken in baseball glove after a couple of seasons. Trusty and well-loved.

Also, swap out your laces on your desert boots. It's refreshing.

Second also, can we talk about grey denim? It's the best.

Finally pulled the trigger on this puppy, the Giles & Brother brass railroad spike bracelet. I hate the word "man jewelry," so I'm just going to pretend that we're all secure enough in our own genders that we don't need to put an extra adjective in front to assert that, cool? Haha. It's "men's jewelry" if anything, not man jewelry. I'll step off my soap box, now. HAPPY MONDAY!

On Jeff: Cotton hunting jacket by Levi's; unixex silk/rayon blend scoop-neck tee by T by Alexander Wang; slate-colored cardigan; grey straight-leg "Kane" 5-pocket pant courtesy J Brand; brown desert boots by Clark's; grey interchangeable boot laces from J.Crew; brass railroad spike bracelet by Giles & Brother.

Photos by Seth Putnam.