midweSTYLE: West Bottoms

Every now and again, I'll do a round of thrifting in my home neighborhood in Kansas City. If I've recently gotten a paycheck, I get a little chance-y and pick up pieces that I know I'll probably never wear. Some of them are ill-fitting, others are just ridiculous, and more than not, they end up in my closet unworn. If you thrift with any regularity, you've been there. You know that feeling. You don't need it, and you don't really even want it that badly, but you grab it just in case. After all, it only costs ¢50 or a few bucks. If worse comes to worst, it would make for a good Halloween costume at some point in the future. 

Anyway, that was the story behind this blazer, initially. I didn't have a go-to blue blazer at the time, so I bought it, even though it didn't really fit. The shoulders framed me well enough and the chest wasn't bad, but it had a huge waist measurement. The gentleman that owned it before definitely had a belly. Seriously, Santa Claus status. Regardless, I bought it for a staggering $4.50. A navy blue, American-made, hopsack blazer for under $5? Sure.

After a few lonely months in the closet, I finally took it to get tailored. Tailoring thrifted clothing sounds and feels a little unnatural. Taking something that you bought dirt cheap and investing another $25 to $75 seems wrong at first. But, if the piece is of high enough quality, the investment is well worth the fit and wearability that comes with tailored clothing. I've gotten a jacket or two fitted, some legs of old trousers tapered, waists taken in. It can turn a forgotten thrift store purchase into one of your wardrobe favorites. In this case, the arms ride up a bit, making them appear a little shorter, but hey, it's perfect everywhere else.

Clarks, beat to death.

On Cameron: hopsack blazer, thrifted ($4.50), tailored for $45; patchwork button-down (eBay) by Gitman Vintage; cream sweatshirt (sale, $80 at the Baldwin Men's Shop) by Todd Snyder; the Henley in California wash, (sale at the Baldwin Men's Shop $116, reg. $232), by Baldwin Denim; beeswax desert boots (gift) by Clarks; WWII-era Russian watch (Etsy, $30) by Vostok; leather wrap (gift) by Tanner Goods; recycled cotton socks (Christmas gift purchased from Hickoree's), by Solmate Socks.

Photography by the one and only Grant Heinlein, check him out!

midweSTYLE: Proportions at play

We've been mixing it up a bit. And loving it. You know; playing with proportions, colors and fabrics.

Give some of these stylings a shot:

• Bright and LOUD. Try a subtle dark layer when your outfit is on the neutral or lighter side.
• Bold prints. Tame it or tone it with a less busy fabric or wash.
• Highs and lows. Roll your sleeve or throw cuff your chinos. A little detail never hurt.
• Bring an extra layer. You'd be surprised how a jacket/cardigan can pull your appearance together, especially when you're going from day to night.

On Cameron: Four-pocket "Trucker" denim jacket (eBay, $15) by Levi's; charcoal cardigan (thrifted, $20) by American Apparel; madras short-sleeve shirt (thrifted, $2) by Royal Knight; slim-fit chinos (Urban Outfitters, $10) by Dockers; black plimsolls (thrifted, $4); leather snap bracelet ($20) by Corter for Japan.

Photography by Nick Welch of Scout Photo

midweSTYLE: Tee time

Because I had to make some tough sartorial decisions for the advancement of my manhood, I decided to leave all of my pashminas and scarves back in Kansas City. So like any older brother would do, I bestowed those gifts on my younger sister, because let's be honest: Most of these scarves had some kind floral pattern or brocade print on them that could have easily passed as something you would get from XXI, not the antique stores, swap meets and coastal vendors like where I had originally acquired them.

I thought, I'm moving to a big city. I'm not a dirty, liberal-arts undergrad who spends his days engaged in philosophical debate, chain-smoking Parliaments outside of Kaldis or killing pitchers of Fat Tire at Shakespeares anymore! No more scarves! No more chain-smoking! And certainly no more deep V-necks!

So I did—I left my beloved scarf collection back home for my sisters to adorn themselves.

But then I forgot how much I dig a scarf around my neck. Hetero-normative masculine sartorial presuppositions aside, I like scarves. And you know what, that's okay.

What are you thoughts on the scarves? Rather, scarves with ties?

I snagged this feather suede LANVIN Paris blazer at Seek Vintage on Chicago, just west of downtown. I was surprised and relieved to finally find a "vintage" store that actually had vintage apparel that was well-curated. Unlike other locations that heaping mounds of shit under the notion of the place being a "vintage" retailer, Seek Vintage curates housewares, apparel, accessories and a cornucopia of goods from all over the world. The staff is friendly, and the store is thoughtfully merchandised. I've visited a handful of times already and still have yet to walk away empty handed. I like this place.

Camel-colored suede blazer (Seek Vintage, $15) by LANVIN Paris, size 38; green-striped, button-down oxford (eBay, $18) by Gitman Bros., medium; "The Henley" 11.5-ounce dry selvage (Standard Style, $198) by Baldwin Denim, size 28; brown leather "Wallabees" (Cargo Largo, sale $40; reg. $120) by Clarks, size 11; plaid tie (thrifted, $1); golf club tie bar (thrifted, $3); coral wool scarf courtesy of rag & bone; red replacement shoelaces (J.Crew, $2); ex-roommate's dad's friend's brown leather briefcase (gift!).

Photos by Seth Putnam.

midweSTYLE: Urbanautical

Does this clash?
Probably.
Is that a "woman's" clutch?
It's a worn leather dossier/clutch/folio/wallet.
Did I pick up this gold watch at Target thinking it was a "man's" watch?
Yes.
Did I find out the next day that three of my female friends already had it because it's a "boyfriend" watch?
Yes.

Do I wear it anyway?

Yes.

If we're being honest here, fit, design and function trump whatever's on the label—even if it's two letters like "wo" in front of "man." That's why we each have a coat or two in our hall closets that button up from the left side. Looks the same, works the same and in some cases fits better.

Gold watch, carmel leather details and stripes. What do you think?

Nautical striped boatneck long-sleeve tee (Standard Style) by Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen, small; "The Henley" 14-ounce Karabo fabric (Standard Style, $198 in store, $220 shipped) by Baldwin Denim, size 28; vintage brown caramel dress shoes (thrifted in New Haven, Conn., $6.99); gold "boyfriend" watch (Target, $12.99) by Merona; authentic vintage clutch (garage sale, $2) by Coach.

Photos by Seth Putnam.

Tools of the trade

Leather journal, thrifted sportcoat, J.Crew button-down, Saddleback briefcase, thrifted Giorgio Bruttini loafers and Corona portable typewriter from the mid to late 1920s.

Some of these items are called into action daily. That blazer fits me almost as well as if it had been tailored...one of the best coats I've owned, and a steal at $6. The elbow pads actually serve a utilitarian purpose for all the days I'm hunched over my desk. When the coat finally craps out on me, I'll take it apart and see if I can't make a pattern from it.

The kind of writing I do (mainly the electronic, 21st century kind) may not be best accomplished on a manual typewriter. But it helps to have one around, if only for the inspiration. Same reason I've got pictures of some of these guys (hi-ya, Faulkner) hung around my office. And every so often, I light up my pipe, pour a glass of scotch and thwack the 90-year-old keys to get some thoughts in ink on paper.

The typewriter was going to be a July birthday present for my then-girlfriend, also a writer. I was spending the summer as a reporter in sweltering Mississippi, where the heat is so heavy the lakes become hottubs by the end of June.

I hunted for the damn thing for weeks, finally finding it in a junk shop deep in plantation country. The owner—an old, penny-pinching, Southern fella—was reluctant to part with it and asked for about twice what it was worth. We ended up making a deal we were both unhappy with, which I suppose is the sign of a good trade.

I took it back to the antebellum house where I was living and spent a few hours cleaning it up, oiling it, making it maybe worth what the old fella initially wanted for it. Summer ended, and the word-machine came with me to a big-city newspaper where I covered politics. Now, I'm in Chicago—an even bigger city with different stories—and I've still got that old typewriter.

Photography by Jeff Kieslich

midweSTYLE: Logan Square

Seeing as this is my visual debut, I should probably explain a bit about my life as a reporter-at-large. It's pretty much the best life ever: I'm my own boss, I only work on Pulitzer-worthy stories that I'm passionate about, editors of national magazines are constantly banging down my door, and the money is rolling in. (Pick which one of those things is true). Actually, this article sums it up pretty well, especially the bit about "mostly spending my days watching television, napping, noshing, strolling around, seeing matinees, playing The Sims"...except sub in FIFA for The Sims. Jarred once told me he envisions me sitting around smoking cheap cigarettes and not shaving very much.

Because my office is about 3.281 feet from my bedroom, it can, however, be a struggle sometimes to put pants on in the morning (a confession that once almost got me booted from this site.) Being a freelancer has its perks...namely the flexibility to work from home or pack up the computer and take it to an interview/café/coffee shop/bar/house party. I try to dress accordingly.

Wearing a tie, believe it or not, actually increases my productivity and results in better work. I know, I know—I scoffed, too, when Coach Musgrave made us wear ties on gamedays during high school soccer. But I started wearing them on test days in college, and much to my surprise, I actually did better on exams. So we'll see how they serve me in my post-collegiate years.

As for the loafers, they've pretty much become my go-to slip-ons, so they'll probably be appearing quite a bit.

Tweed blazer (thrifted, $6) , size "fits-like-a-glove" 36R; grid oxford button-down (gift) by J.CREW; "The Henley" (borrowed from Jeff) by Baldwin Denim, size 30; brown and blue-striped socks (Target, $2.50); woven and stitched loafers (thrifted, $3).

Photography by Jeff Kieslich