Fall Quarter: Wintergreens

-I start the majority of my posts with something like "it's well-established that I love military garb blah blah," so it's no surprise that my closet is full of green. The muted greens of army surplus have their place, but lately I've been seeing a lot of richer greens and wondering how I can get my hands on some. I think green has always been a pretty daunting undertaking for me; one false move and you end up looking like you're ready for the St. Patrick's Day parade. But after taking another look at the Close Up & Private A/W10 photos I've been inspired to try to work some non-military greens into my wardrobe. I stumbled upon these olive jeans from Rugby on sale and pulled the trigger almost immediately. I've been on the hunt for green denim for a long time. I haven't quite figured out what to wear the pants with yet, but I think I'll keep it pretty muted up top, stick grey or white, and maybe even try them with my Harris Tweed.  


-Side note: I still haven't found a light crewneck sweater that isn't droopy in the waist like this one from J. Crew. Who has a recommendation?

-I like this patch. An absence of logos is rare among Rugby garments.


-Unattainably boss vest from Moncler.

-An old favorite from The Sartorialist.



-Two great images from Close Up & Private. more

School Supplies: Polo Hunting

-My wardrobe is pretty complete right now, and as I've mentioned previously, I'm trying to spend less on clothes in 2010 and save for some major purchases. But there are still a couple essentials I need to grab to round out my closet, one of them being a legitimate polo. My polo game is terribly weak; It consists of a $7 white polo from Wal-Mart, and an Abercrombie joint I bought in 11th grade (I still wear it though, buttoned all the way up a la Fred Perry.) For some reason I've never upgraded to a pricier polo. I know there are probably some workable polos from Gap, J. Crew or Rugby (shown.) But because I've loaded up on OCBDs as my go-to, I'll probably only buy 1 polo to last the next couple years, so I'm looking in the $75-150 range. If I'm going to spend that much on one shirt, I've got to do some thorough research. Here are a few initial favorites:
-Rogues Gallery,  Engine Red Faded Seam $88
-Band of Outsiders, Trapped Pocket Polo $135
-Fred Perry, Italia World Cup Series, $86
-Rugby, Sun-Washed Polo, $65
-I'm leaning toward a simple blue or red, or maybe grey, something that works for summer but could be layered and add some color in the fall. I included the Rugby because I'm really digging the sun-faded look, and I know that Rugby fit works for me. I'm going to keep searching until mid-june probably, and may end up settling with a monogrammed joint from Polo. Any suggestions? more

School Supplies: Newbury Chino Remix

-A few weeks ago I blogged about the khaki Newbury Chino Jacket from Rugby, and then (if you've been following the blog you know this already) I bought the navy version of the jacket as well. With the navy jacket I did the same exact look as I did with the khaki, except that I swapped the regular Gap chambray with my new red Gap chambray, and I took the advice of my knowledgeable peers and swapped out my beat-to-shit Top-Siders for some Alden loafers. I've been getting a lot of questions about this jacket since I first posted, so more than just throwing up an image¹, I wanted to illustrate the differences between the khaki and navy models of this jacket.

-The lining of the navy jacket is actually pretty heavy. It's thick jersey, which adds some notable heft to the jacket, and obviously, makes it fit a bit more snug than its khaki counterpart. I pulled the trigger on the navy Newbury because of the sale, but it's definitely an item I'll be working into my wardrobe much more this fall (and I'll definitely shoot some of the looks I come up with, probably September-ish.)

-The navy jacket has plastic, skull-emblem buttons, whereas the khaki jacket has a more traditional button and the "Rugby, a sport of gentlemen" insignia on the inside cuff.
-Overall, I'm glad I purchased both versions of this jacket, though I won't fully appreciate the navy joint until the weather cools down a bit.
1- I know the photo is toned kind of oddly, we were having lighting/angle issues.  more

School Supplies: Navy Newbury Chino

-Having been thoroughly impressed with the fit and feel of the khaki Newbury Chino jacket from Rugby, I decided to snag the jacket in navy as well. I didn't really plan on getting the navy jacket too, but this week Rugby is having an insider sale of 25% off, which I combined with my student discount of 15% to get the jacket at a crazy-low price. I'll throw up a fit picture as soon as the jacket makes it to me doorstep. more

Dress Code: Rugby Newbury Chino Jacket

-I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was contemplating buying this khaki blazer from Rugby. When RL was offering 25 percent off all items, I couldn't justify not picking it up for about $130. After messing around a bit it's become pretty clear that this jacket is going to be a favorite heading into summer, but it's also heavier than I'd expected and it should make the transition to fall pretty easily. For this first look I very blatantly referenced the May GQ cover, going with the Gap chambray work-shirt and a dark tie (tie and clip are vintage.) I'm a pocket square novice, but pairing my chambray pocket square from The Hill-Side with the shirt/jacket was a no-brainer. I'm going to try this look again with my Naked & Famous denim and see if it still translates. I might rock the white denim a few times this summer, but it's probably not something I'll go with regularly.
-Check out three more jacket-based looks I came up with after the jump.

-Click the images to enlarge.

-This second look is from yesterday's post about 511s, I think it shows the jacket in a more collegiate assemblage.

-Despite the inadvertently douchy poses, this is how I might rock this jacket in late September when the weather is starting to cool down. The shirt is Gitman Vintage, jeans are Naked & Famous.

-It's rare that you'll see me wearing a shirt without a BD collar, but I've been meaning to give this J.Crew purple gingham more play this summer. A grey tie always works with purple. The jeans are my raw 511s.
- When I previewed this post on Twitter, Jeremy and Lawrence clowned on my shoe-game a bit, and I must admit that their admonishments were warranted. Shoes, like the dudes from PutThisOn say in their new video, are an investment. For that reason, upgrading your footwear is a challenge for those on a college budget. I'm always on the eBay prowl for Alden steals, but until I've got a spare $500 to drop on some quality kicks, I'm happy with my beat-to-shit Sperrys and my $68 DKNY wingtips (among others.)
-Anyway, this jacket fits great (mine is a small) and it was a steal, I wholeheartedly recommend it. more

School Supplies: Some Spring Rugby

-I'm seriously considering snagging this Rugby Newbury Chino jacket. Ryan had a chance to try it on recently and has assured me that the fit is on point (Rugby fit has been great to me on other items.) I was thinking about getting the J. Crew khaki Ludlow suit, but I don't think I'm ready to make a move on a full suit just yet. This jacket is a little more casual than the Ludlow, and I like the little Rugby details on the collar and cuff.

-I don't know why I've never checked to see if Rugby had a club-collar oxford, since I've been looking for one for awhile. I think it's pretty safe to say this version ($69.50,) and this madras bow ($29.50,) are the most affordable models of each to be found (especially if you can take advantage of the 15% student discount Rugby offers.) As always, Rugby is a mixed bag, but if you stick to the classics, the label can provide some good snags for those of us on a college budget. more

Dress Code: The Earlier Spring

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Dress Code: The Non-Initial Monogram

-The badassity of monogramming is undeniable: Adding a bit of personality to your favorite items is almost always a good move. But I carry enough ego with my style as it is, I don't need to adorn everything with my initials. So, in my very small monogram collection, I've opted for a different route. Option 1 (top) I chose to rock the initials of a loved one/significant other. Only consider this option if said loved one/significant other isn't likely to be out of your life before the garment is. The shirt is a Rugby make-your-own oxford, it fits great and was only like $65 I think. Rugby has also taken the J.Crew route and started granting a 15% discount to college students.
-Option 2 (bottom) I chose to use an acronym from a personal motto. Don't ask me what it is, but it has to do with being a badass. The shorts are J.Crew. Think about getting your shorts monogrammed, it's a nice change of pace from the more-common sweater/polo mongrams. J. Crew offers monogramming on a lot of their items for $10 if you're shopping online, so the next time you're grabbing a plain crew neck sweater, think about throwing some initials on there. Just remember, you don't absolutely have to go with your own initials, your choice could be as simple as a set of letters that just roll off the tongue. I'm trying to have a large collection of monogrammed gear, and I'm trying not to let any of them have the same three letters, that way each is special in its own way. more

School Supplies: Ralph Lauren Rugby High Seas Cardigan

-I was just browsing on Rugby today and I found this cardigan. A lot of people in the style blogosphere would find this piece a little too out-there for their tastes, but that's why I like it. $130 is a little more than I'd usually consider dropping on a cardigan, but I need pieces like this to remind myself that before I was engrossed in a style blogosphere that, while it provides a wealth of alternative points of view to counteract magazines and other dominant media, gets bogged down by a regurgitation of trends and uniformity of thought, I made a name by being a daring sartorialist. Pieces like this remind me that personality was always my biggest style influence.

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