Friday Wrap-Up: What's On Our Radar

UPDATE: The watch below, worn by Cam, is a WWII-era Russian piece by Vostok. He found it for $30 on Etsy. Sadly, it has been lost...though he notes it didn't keep very good time. YOLO.

Around the interwebs:

• A peep at the new  Ralph Lauren Vintage online shop. (Get Kempt)
• If you needed another reason to be "that guy" at a party, grab a Das Horn drinking chalace. (KickStarter)
• The Hazards of Growing Up Painlessly: Ashlyn Blocker, 13, feels no pain. (NYTimes)
• Susie and Carrie from Imogene + Willie on friendship and their new favorite women's fit. (Imogene + Willie)
• We can't stop thinking about the new Scrabble Typography Edition. (GQ)

Around Chicago this weekend:

• If you're up for it, trek to the burbs for the Red Wing Heritage Trunk Show at Nordstrom this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
• Apartment Number 9 brings its Bucktown digs to the Gold Coast. (Thrillist)

THRIFTY THURSDAY: A. P. (pre) C. (iate)

Guess who finally bought his first suit? This guy.

Your first suit should be one that fits you. That's first and foremost.

Your first suit should be altered to your body with the help of a tailor.

Your first suit should be probably be grey because you can dress it up and dress it down with separates. Black is always formal—think: weddings and funerals—and navy may be a little too casual for a black-tie event, because we all know I'm invited to black-tie events so often...

Well, I bought a midnight navy one, and it fits me perfectly off the rack. Hat's off to you, A.P.C., for making such a finely tailored suit that fits a 6'2" man with a 36" chest, girlishly small arms and a terribly long inseam.

Seth's note: Uh, Jeff, where are the photos of the suit?

Jeff: Wait, you thought after all that talk I was actually going to show you photos of the whole thing?

Friday Wrap-Up: End of March

Friday Wrap-Up: Posts that you may have missed this work that are worth checking out.

• Badass Monday Tuesday: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
• Tuesday: midweSTYLE Campustyle
• Wednesday: midweSTYLE at Old Watertower
• Thrifty Thursday: My ex-roommate's dad's friend's briefcase, yo.

In other news...

When Will asks, we deliver.
It's just that simple: Friday Presentations, (April) fools.

Jeff: "Slim Jim" dry coat black denim (Standard Style, winter sale $75) by Nudie Jeans, size 31x34; Salmon OCBD (Country Club Plaza, $69) by American Apparel, size small; mustard suede shoes (Nordstrom, winter sale $44) by 1901, size 11; grey charcoal blazer (Halls, sale $220) by Billtornade, small.

Seth: brown woven and tasseled loafers (thrifted, $6) by Giorgio Brutini, size 8; Nantucket "Davis"slim chino (Wicker Park, $68) by Club Monaco, size 29x32; White OCBD ($60) by J.Crew, slim small; Madras spring tie by J.Crew.

Photos by Oliver Drambour. Get on back to Chi soon, son.

midweSTYLE: Old Watertower, Chicago

Seth and I went looking for a suit with our friend Oliver, who's visiting from Kansas City. We talked about life and love and happiness—ya know, much like the rest of us who are meandering through this twenty-something phase trying to find purpose. You would think finding a slim-fitting suit would be an easy task. However, we're trying to find one that isn't going to break the bank. Student loans and entry-level jobs don't help the situation, but you need a suit for the interview, son.

ABOUT THE LOOKS:
Oliver is decked out in all J.Crew except the 1901 saddle shoes by Nordstrom.

But, why ALL J.Crew?
Because J.Crew provides menswear apparel that is affordable, accessible and good-looking. That, and his house burned down a few months ago, forcing him to start his wardrobe over from scratch. J.Crew has played a large part in nailing the essentials.

It's still cold as hell (that doesn't make sense) in Chicago even as we are nearing the end of March. I wanted to be warm but still have some compartments to carry my wallet, keys, chapstick and iPhone.

But can't you just carry those items in your pants like a normal person, Jeff?
You think I can fit a dime in this size 28 selvedge denim, let alone a wallet? Please.

To keep warm, I decided to rock the Patagonia Down Sweater under my thrifted J.Crew utility jacket. A little pop of red under my utility jacket—you know I dig it.

Jeff (left): Khaki utility jacket (thrifted, $6.99) by J.Crew, extra-small; down sweater (retail, sale $150) by Patagonia, small; green and white striped oxford (eBay, $20) by Gitman Bros Vintage; "The Henley" dry selvedge 14-ounce 'Karabo' fabric (Standard Style, $198) by Baldwin Denim, size 28; blue and green repp crest tie (thrifted, $1); cheap sunglasses I found in my car one day stole from Seth; blue suede bucks (Nordstrom, sale $44) by 1901.

Oliver (right): Grey utility shirt, small slim; wool University coat, small; Timex vintage field army watch; plaited blue cardigan, medium; Oxbow madras spring tie; 484 raw slim selvedge denim—all by J.Crew. Clubmaster sunglasses by Rayban; "Saddle Up" oxfords (Nordstrom, $99) by 1901, size 9.5.

Photography by Seth Putnam.

Jobbing it in Chi-city, part two

For my second day of interviews*, I didn't wear a tie or a dress shirt. It was cold, and I wanted to be warm yet still professional....looking....sort of. The day before, I picked up the perfect sweatshirt from Jack Spade and I really wanted to wear it on this dreary day. Why not be comfortable and stylish, so I pulled an "easy card" and threw a sport coat over it. Really, that's all it takes. Just put a freaking blazer or sport coat (that fits, mind you) over your top.

It was a drab day in the city with my concrete camouflage outfit.

I think what made this outfit work was the slim fitting sweatshirt under the sport coat. The shark socks were a nice little touch to let you know that in fact, I do have a soul and a sense of humor. Sharks are always funny, right?


Billtornade grey wool sport coat, Marc by Marc Jacobs slim fit trousers, Jack Spade "Burkee" sweatshirt sale $62.50 reg $120, Nordstrom 1901 blue suede bucks sale $44 reg $99, Merona for Target shark socks $2.50 (you can get these now at your local Target, along with spiders, skulls, shamrocks and flamingos.


*These weren't really interviews. These were more or less prearranged times to informally meet important people, smile and match my face to that resume as I handed it over. Brownie points awarded to make note on the color of my resume.