midweSTYLE: Camo, cuffed.

Spring is, well, nearly here. 

Time to ditch your socks, throw a cuff in your pants and get ready for the flood.

And those ankles? They'll always look pasty white unless you let 'em breathe.

The super helpful folks over at Levi's were kind enough to track down these pants for me. I called my local Wicker Park store, and they handed over the style number so I could call a random West Coast store to see if they had these camo-lined trousers in my size. Low and behold, they did and shipped 'em my way. 

Spring also calls for some light layering. I snagged this lightweight Barbour Liddesdale jacket while I was in London on vacation. A little haggling and £40 later, I was glad to take this jacket off the vintage seller's hands in Brick Lane.

On Jeff: Blue Liddesdale jacket by Barbour; purple pullover by J.Crew; blue button-down shirt by Gant Rugger; camo-lined cuffed trousers (sold out) by Levi's; Italian penny loafers thrifted in Andersonville, Chicago; blue "KC" hat by Baldwin Denim.

Photography by Carolina Rodriguez

Woodland: Part 2

Over the holidays, we got a chance to catch up with Grant and spin the camera around on him.

Here's what we dig and appreciate about Grant's style: nothing flashy, neutral colors and quality digs.

He's got a sense of style with a classic look with workwear influences. You can still look sharp and put together without drawing excessive attention to yourself with clashing patterns, mixing prints or some obnoxious accessory that screams loudly for attention.

This is coming from me...I know, I know. I'm preaching to myself considering my outfits usually include one of the things listed above, but there are days that I just want to blend in the crowd and fly under the radar. But what's under the radar is quality shit that's a long time. You know, cry once. Save your pennies and consider investing in a tough Barbour jacket, sturdy leather boots and some nice pants you won't regret for the sake of a trend. Give thought to the substantial.

On Grant: Quilted brown moleskin jacket by Barbour; the "Reed" duck canvas pant by Baldwin Denim; brown leather Iron Ranger boots by Red Wing; camp socks by J.Crew.

Photography by Jeffrey Kieslich.

Thrifty Thursday: Stolen motorcycle jacket

So, I bought a leather jacket a couple of weeks ago on my day off up in Andersonville...

Alarmingly broken-in and well-loved, this motorcycle jacket ended up in my hands right once I walked in. I mean, if this jacket could talk, I can imagine raucous stories of women holding on to it for dear life as the owner careened around the curves of mountain roads somewhere.

Alongside my brown leather "Member's Only" jacket and a padded grey leather one, black completes the series. So I strolled up to my favorite nook in Andersonville...

Rad Vintage is the place to go, people. It's stocked full of reasonably priced and well-curated options. You'll spend a handful of minutes sifting through their selection from the bossman, RJ. He's got a great eye and know's what he's doing. Check them out on the interwebz or head up their to the store one of these days.

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While doing some vintage shopping on the Sabbath in Wicker Park, I bumped into the lovely Ms. Trés Awesome. She kindly asked to take my photograph for her street style website and I was flattered. She kindly sent over some extra photos to make this post happen. Tada. You're the boss, Emma.

Unfortunately, the jacket has already been snatched by Katie. I'll get it back tomorrow, hopefully...if she doesn't pass it off to Shani.

Black leather motorcycle jacket from Rad Vintage ($60); Fair Isle reindeer sweater courtesy of Topman; blue chambray button down by Gant Rugger; slim white denim from spring 2011 by A.P.C.; classic white sneakers courtesy of Vans; purple laces from the 'Crewcuts' section of J.Crew; black frame eyeglasses by Gant Rugger; slouchy dirty grey beanie from my floor; vintage 1950s monogram shopper by Louis Vuitton from eDrop-Off.

Photos courtesy of Trés Awesome.

Thrifty Thursday: Coated

Whenever I make a purchase, I think about whether the item is an addition to my wardrobe as a basic (button downs, denim, tees and other layering pieces) or if it's going to be a specialty piece.

What do I mean by that?
You can buy button down shirts, trousers and denim year round, generally in the same fit, fabric or wash. You can walk into a men's store at any time and find those pieces. Great, those are your basics in your wardrobe. But each season a brand releases a new jacket or a familiar one but in a different wash or fabric.

Those are your speciality pieces. They are typically higher in price and are trend-driven or not something you'd find everyday. A jacket would be one of those pieces.

Let's talk jackets. You can never have enough jackets. But seriously.

Wait, what?
Most great outfits have three pieces to them. A top, a bottom and a jacket.

Why buy more jackets or blazers? Do my shirt and pants not do the job?
If you look at a majority of our shoots and daily outfits, you'll likely find a third piece. And that third piece is typically a jacket. A jacket pulls an outfit together with the top or bottom. It cleans it up and finishes it off. Throw a blazer in the back of your car or carry a cardigan in your bag.

And that third piece is usually more expensive because it's special and thats where the dollars start to add up. However, those dollars were not on this piece.

Nope. About four-Chipotle-burritos' worth of dolla-dolla-bills-y'all were spent on this jacket.

"The Braydon" Jacket by Comune.

It's a nice, structured-but-soft, slim-fitting jacket with high-cut arm holes, which is tough to find when it comes to getting a jacket off the rack. I sized down and got a small, but the medium fit well also. Quite a deal for a great alternative to a blazer and a different take on a denim jacket, thus making it "special."

STYLING TIP: Throw this jacket on with a pair of dark wash denim, tailored pair of khakis or do the monochromatic look. My style is generally pretty preppy, but this was too sharp and filed under "specialty" pieces that will instantly pull my look together.

It's available at:

• Need Supply in "Stone"


• Urban Outfitters in "Stone" and "Charcoal"


• Amazon.com in "Black," "Stone" and "Charcoal."


• Dogfunk in "Black," "Stone" and "Charcoal"


• ....and just Google Shopping search the damn thing, too.

File this one under: a monochromatic look, too.

On Jeff: Coated black denim jacket (sale $32, Nordstrom) by COMUNE; handmade yellow striped bow tie ($20) by Annaruna; grey pin-stripe straight leg pant ($175) by Nonnie Threads; refurbished white leather topsiders ($30, Nordstorm Rack) by Sperry; cotton grey button-down by J.Crew.

Photograpy by Bradley Siefert

THRIFTY THURSDAY: Made In Italy

It's boots like these that will forever have me preaching the eBay gospel, ladies and gentlemen. Is it too early for boots? Perhaps. But when I saw these bad boys on eBay while doing some pre-fall bargain hunting, I had to pull the proverbial trigger (get it?). After all, for the price of about four Chipotle burritos (and I'm talking steak burritos here, or barbacoa, depending on my mood) plus shipping, how could I go wrong? You're right, I couldn't. Now, I'm sure all of you calculus teachers out there have done the mental math, but for those that haven't, the purchase came out to a little over $30, shipped. That's, like, ¥2400 for all ya'll in Japan!

Not bad for some vintage cap toe Cable and Co. work boots, handcrafted in Italy. They're used, weathered, and scuffed, which only adds to their appeal. Those contrasting brown suede panels on the uppers are pretty out of the ordinary. Plus, those who are weary of workwear are shifting toward the Italian influence, right? BUT WAIT! You forgot about - *dun dun dun!* - Italian workwear.

#menswearsatire

On Cameron: thrifted s/s madras shirt (Wild Man Vintage, $7) by Royal Knight, size medium; grey chinos (J. Crew, $65) by J. Crew, size 31; "Preston" eyeglasses (online, $95) by Warby Parker; cap toe work boots (eBay, $30 shipped) by Cable and Company, size 10

Photos by Jarred Donalson

midweSTYLE: Yves dropping

Anthony: "Okay, this pose is good, Jeff. You look like a tool, and the city looks dope."

Anthony: "Good, now go ahead and step forward, and let me grab a shot of Seth."

And apparently, I look my best post-nut-tap gasping for air and making sure nothing ascended into my stomach.

STREET midweSTYLE: Brad on Chicago & LaSalle

Meet Brad.

He's a Brooklyn transplant in Chicago who runs Well-Spent. He's an intelligent guy who has a passion for discovering and bringing the focus on "honest, obtainable goods."

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Thrifty Thursday: Levi's lately

Chicago is a land of wondrous things. Two of them happen to be the Levi's Stores on Michigan Avenue and Wicker Park. Earlier this week in stores they were taking taking an additional 50 percent already reduced prices on sale items. They might as well have said, "Please come in and find these clothes a good home for a fraction of the cost."

I've got my go-to people at each location that I work with each time I come in. Love the service and the prices. Also, it's Levi's. It just works.

Oh, you don't live near a Levi's store? That's okay. Their customer service is great and will happily track down your items, even the sale items, because Lord knows that's where and what I shop when I walk into Levi's.

Oh, Timex Camper watch for a mere $18, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways that you look sharp and timeless everywhere I take you.

Straight-leg cargo pants that I'm not swimming in? Please. I've gotten more compliments on these lately than I have the bow ties I've been rocking. I saw these on a gentlemen who worked for the styling department of Oprah and asked him where he got these, thinking they were Shipley and Halmos or Engineered Garments. But they were Levi's! He told me he didn't remember the style number but got them from a store in California for like 20 bucks. Eager to find these, I went to the Levi's store with a mission and that mission was completed.

On Jeff: Cotton hunting jacket ($30) by Levi's; cotton front-pocket cargo pants ($20) by Levi's; grey button down ($20) by J.Crew; "The Lexington" leather wingtips (Nordstrom Rack, $50) by Florsheim; "Camper" watch ($18) by Timex; leather belt with brass hardware ($5) by J.Crew.

Photos of Jeff by Jeff for Jeff by Seth.

Seth slipped the Levi's hunting jacket and never looked back.

That's Seth's beloved Saddleback Leather briefcase—which, as he points out for the budget-minded among you, was result of a giveaway from the generous folks over at the Art of Manliness.

The jacket won him over, so we ordered it for him a couple of days later and he took it down to ol' farm in southwest Missouri to bust out the over-under 20-gauge shotty and break in the reinforced shoulder patch.

Of Seth: Field photos by Jeff Kieslich. Farm photos by Oliver Drambour.

midweSTYLE: St. Louis (Part One)

You know that feeling of joy when you are reunited with best friends who always greet with you a warm, bear-like slap on the back followed by a quick rub to diffuse the gentle sting? That's how I feel when the Midwestyle reunites.

We got together in St. Louis for our good man Patrick's wedding. If you're from Missouri or have Missouri friends, you know Kansas City hates St. Louis. And that St. Louis hates Kansas City right back. Or maybe it's just our friends have this thing with their hometown pride.

Either way, Patrick, a Kansas City boy, met Emmy, a St. Louis girl, and forged peace between the Montagues and Capulets of KC-STL—at least for the time being. Naturally, we brought our favorite Kansas City goods with us to this wretched great city!

Actually, we just found all of these belongings in our car. Let's be honest: You need to take some hometown swag with you wherever you go. We chose Boulevard Pale Ale, KC Baldwin hat and a throwback "Wizards" jersey.

But really "St. Louis" people, do you actually live in St. Louis? Nope, you live in Chesterfield, West County or Kirkwood. We, on the other hand, actually have mailing addresses that say "Kansas City" not "Lee's Summit" or "Overland Park." Represent.

The Three Madras Amigos showing our St. Louis denizens how we feel. Everyone loves a meaningless, mildly offensive middle-school gesture.

Noteworthy details: My no-break chinos and "Lexington" wingtips by Florsheim.

Noteworthy detail: Seth's thrifted woven and stitched loafers by Giorgio Brutini.

Noteworthy detail: The "KC" welt and felt hat by Baldwin Denim.

On Cameron: pink, fuchsia and orange madras shirt (thrifted at Wild Man Vintage, $7) by Royal Knight, medium; grey slim-fit trouser shorts (Urban Outfitters, $40) by BDG, size 31; "KC" baseball cap (Standard Style, $42) by Baldwin Denim, size large; well-loved and worn "Authentics" (online, $40) by Vans, size 10; throwaway aviators from Urban Outfitters ($10).

On Jeff: Grey slim-fit "Davis" chino (retail, $50) by Club Monaco, size 28x32; brown leather belt with brass detailing (sale, $4.99) by J.Crew, size 30; blue-and-green large-check madras shirt (sale, $29.99) by J.Crew; "Lexington" wingtips without laces (Nordstrom Rack, $50) by Florsheim, size 11; knock-off "Clubmaster" sunglasses (Seek Vintage, $12).

On Seth: Blue and violet plaid button-down (swiped from Cam); "Corporal" chinos courtesy of J Brand, size 30; woven and stitched tassel loafers (thrifted, $6) by Giorgio Brutini.

Photography by Jarred Donalson.

midweSTYLE: Fight

What you don't know is that Seth and Jeff fight...often. Yes, yes. It's true, dear readers. Jeff and Seth, although former roommates in college and former couch residents, get in fights. We don't always see eye-to-eye on everything. Topics and past arguments have included but are not limited to:

• Why is addressing your parents by their first name rude/inconsiderate?
• What is a healthy B.A.C. level for a slow Tuesday at 2 p.m.?
• Should I still be subsisting on cereal even though I'm 23 years old with a full-time job?

We debate these pressing issues week in and week out at The Midwestyle office. Our boy Anthony decided to help us handle these issues on the street.

I really loved playing Mortal Kombat growing up. This image brings back flashbacks. FIGHT!

So the fight begins. FINISH HIM.

Pause for a shot of my fresh kicks.

Annnd...scene.

On Jeff: Chambray-lined, blue-and-white striped button down by J.Crew, small; broken-in orange striped tee by J.Crew, small; straight-leg front-pocket green cargo pants (sale $19.99) by Levi's, 31x34; classic white "Authentics" courtesy of Vans Shoes, size 11, vintage Clubmasters (Seek Vintage, $12); jersey slub cardigan by J.Crew, small; canvas green unzippered tote (thrifted on eBay, $50) by Filson.

On Seth: Navy cotton, shawl-collar pull-over by Nonnie Threads; light blue button-down (hand-me-down from brother) by Arrow; paisley tie (hand-me-down from grandfather); khaki chinos (retail, $40) by Gap, size 31x30; knock-off Persol wanna-be sunglasses (Seek Vintage, $12); brown suede "Moc" courtesy of Vans Shoes, size 7.5.

Photography by Anthony Barlich.

midweSTYLE: Entryway

Since moving to Chicago, I've been fortunate to meet passionate people. I love meeting folks who are going after what makes them tick. It's a beautiful thing to meet someone who loves what they do and attacks it relentlessly. I've met a few of these types already—take roommates Drew and Anthony. Drew is a hairstylist and Anthony is a photographer. Here's how we met:

When I was jet-setting to Chicago for interviews in the tail end of what we all thought was winter in March, I bumped into Drew at a Thursday-night event that bridged our interests. His style was a little West coast, relaxed but put together, but the dude is from Wisconsin. We starting chatting about why he was wearing slim-fit, white rolled denim and why he is in Chicago. I asked him what he liked to do and he replied, "I cut hair and you need a hair cut."

Cool, I thought. I've got my guy to cut my hair. It's a thing that many don't have these days: "their guy" at the barber shop, at the menswear store, at the tailor, at the local restaurant. Their guy. Your guy who helps you out when you need the latest or a fixing. He knows enough about your life to ask how your family's doing. How work's going. What you thought about that thing that happened on the Blue Line the other day. I just moved here, and I've officially secured another year of not having to step into a professional salon. Glory, glory, glory. I can pay AND tip the hairstylist in booze, meals and bargains. Relief.

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A month later when I moved to Chicago, I show up to Drew's apartment and met Anthony while I was getting my hair cut. I told Drew to do whatever he thought would work best. (It's hair. It'll grow.) Anthony is a rad man from Pennsylvania who has got a serious case of trigger finger. Dude's got the camera glued to his face, and when you get a chance to see his face past the scruff, he has a smile that stretches from ear to ear an reveals an enthusiasm to know you and your passion.

Anthony took some time off between shooting medical hip replacement surgeries and New York weddings to hang out with Seth and I. We got a little work done...

FAVORITE PART OF THE LOOK: Clashing patterns and prints. If these socks had parents, Mortia Adams and Beetlejuice would be a notch above in the family tree. Kind of a dark and quirky feel much like the set in Anthony and Drew's old apartment entryway. Mix these with a preppy and spring-madras bow tie, and it somehow works. Or maybe it doesn't. Give it a shot.

Straight-leg "Mushroom" stretch chino ($175) by Nonnie Threads, small; brushed cotton navy button-down (900 Shops in Chicago, sale $30) by J.Crew, extra-small; spring-madras bow tie (Etsy, $20) by AnnaRuna; brown leather belt with brass hardware by J.Crew, size 32; black-and-green striped socks (sale $2.99) by J.Crew, one size; brown leather wingtips (Nordstrom Rack in Chicago, sale $40, reg. $140) by Florsheim, wool scarf (thrifted at Urban Mining in Kansas City, $8) by Pendleton; unzippered green canvas tote (eBay sale $50, reg. $90) by Filson.

Photography by Anthony Barlich.