Dress Code: Winter/Spring Whites

-White jeans can be hard to pull off. When I do it, I make sure to make my other colors pretty muted.
-Check out Grace's take on the white/chambray look here. more

School Supplies: Seeing Red

-In middle school I wore an inordinate amount of red. I kept buying red and white skate shoes, and I had an unhealthy obsession with matching everything to my shoes. As I've matured, I think I've subconsciously avoided wearing red so as to not relive that dark sartorial period. But lately I've been really gravitating toward some bright red items. Whether it's used to add a pop of color on a cold winter day, or to usher in the beginning of spring, a singular piece of striking red will do you good.
-1 Inverallan for Inventory Items, I've regretted not buying this hat ever since it sold out. I've spent a lot of time looking for a suitable red beanie, but the shape and chunky knit of this one keeps me hoping they'll re-up.
-2 Wool Blend shirt from Aubin & Wills.
-3 Russel Athletic crewneck sweatshirt for a bit of childhood nostalgia (size down accordingly.)
-4 D.S. Dundee cardigan
-I would probably wear my red Polo socks with any of these pieces for a bit of added flair, but otherwise I would never put more than one bright red (or any other bright color) item in one look. I'm still looking for the optimum usage of my red Polo jeans though... more

Dress Code: The Early Spring Weekender

-I almost wrote about my yellow Burberry sweater for my COE Favorites Series contribution. In short, the sweater was a reckless purchase that worked out in the long run. It's probably my most under-utilized garment.
-As far as this look goes, I just got the chinos and have been trying to figure out what to wear with them (besides my go-to flannel.) The cashmere sweater classes up the chambray/chino ensemble a bit, and I included the windbreaker and umbrella to allude to the certain prevalence of rain as spring approaches. more

Dress Code: Grey and Pink Early Spring

-This spring, I'm rocking suspenders. I'll be sure to keep a smug grin on my face to let any potential haters know I'm serious about my steeze.
-I felt a little naked not wearing my belt, but I think the suspenders will actually do a better job at keeping my pants up. I've got thicker-band red pair I'm looking to pull out in addition to this pair. more

Budget Cuts: Support the Future of Class Act Video

-Nobody likes asking for money. But I've got a pretty sweet idea for the next episode in the Class Act video series, but I'm thinking that I'll need about $300 to pull it off effectively. So if you enjoyed our last video, and you'd like see what else we've got in store, donate using the badge on the right side of the page. Thanks for your support! more

Dress Code: The Early Spring Field Guide

-I'm the first to admit that spring isn't my strongest season. I've always been more inspired stylistically by the layering possibilities of fall and winter.  But right now the magazines and blogs are all buzzing at the arrival of spring collections. I've got no money for any big time spring acquisitions. So I've put together a couple early-spring (meaning NW early-spring, aka still cold) looks with the hopes of discovering some new takes on a few of the items already in my closet. This was mainly just for me to not feel bad about not getting anything new for spring, but hopefully it can inspire some of you to think about how you can effectively ride the seasonal transition. I'll be posting the rest of what I came up with in the coming days.

more

School Supplies: The Sperry Upgrade

-First off, check out these new drops from Sperry (above.) They've added some height to the chukka and deemed it the 'chukka mid'. I think it looks good. I also like the grey (what do they call that, crushed leather?) Icy. Okay, that's out of the way.
-My go-to Top-Siders, which I've worn probably 86% of the time since I bought them in 2006, have finally worn a whole in the bottom. Now I can't wear them unless the ground is completely devoid of moisture. So today I began looking for a replacement pair, which was a little harder than I expected. I can't seem to find the exact, dark brown (non-glossy) leather that mine originally were. Perusing the site I found a couple almost suitable alternatives (clockwise from top-left below). The 75th anniversary model has great color and a simple silhouette and I was almost set on them. But then I realized how big the heel is. Look at that thing! It's like twice as high as a regular Top-Sider heel. I don't get down like that. I also like the darker soled Top-Siders better than their white-soled brothers. Next is this buffalo-plaid infused model which was, predictably, on sale. This one is kitschy and trend-biting, which is why I like it, but not enough to buy it. The grey with the dope redbrick sole is icy, but I need a Top-Sider that's toned down enough for near daily use. I also like my go-to shoe to match my go-to belt, so I'm sticking with brown. I think this last one, the authentic original boat shoe in sahara, may be the most suitable replacement to my old favorites. The color is a bit lighter, but I think I can dig that.

-However, the disconcerting thing about this search wasn't that I couldn't find an exact match, it was how much the price of Top-Siders has inflated since they've grown in popularity. My first pair was $40 at Nordstrom, and my second pair (these icy white ones, also 2006) were $60 (which seemed a little nuts at the time.) For awhile I encouraged people to check out boating stores for better, less hipster-raided deals on Top-Siders. I can't seem to find any good looking models for less than $60 anymore, which is kind of a shame for a great everyman shoe.
-Check out these odd Sperry white bucks, these are icy too. I might snag them for spring, depending on how much money I make next quarter. more

School Supplies: Rice Krispie Treats Cereal

-If you're only interested in posts about clothes and style, check back tomorrow, or um, in a couple days probably. This one is not for you.
-Let's start this journey sometime in the mid 90s, probably around 1996. Kids across America are overjoyed at the introduction of an amazing new cereal, Rice Krispie Treats. The cereal goes on to become the best-tasting cereal in the history of taste. Fast forward to, I dunno, 2000 maybe? The cereal disappears without explanation. Kids everywhere cry themselves to sleep (little do they know in the coming years another best-tasting-product in the world, Sprite Remix (original flavor) will pull the same disappearing act.)
-Fast forward to like 2005 probably. My dad is working in Michigan and spots the cereal in a grocery store. He sends me four boxes in the mail and I start to believe there is some sort of conspiracy trying to keep me from enjoying life on the West Coast.
-Fast forward to 2007, I'm telling the lamentable story of the cereal to a friend, that friend does some research and finds that the cereal can be ordered on Amazon.com. You can even get it to come to your house every month like a subscription. I ordered two 4-box packages, but my lack of income could not sustain perpetual acquisition of the cereal. Fast forward to 2009. My cravings peak again and I order four boxes from Amazon. The fuckers take like 4 months to send them to me. Meanwhile I'm telling everybody about how cool I am for ordering cereal on Amazon, and someone informs me that they still have the cereal on the West Coat at fucking Wal-Mart! Fast forward to three days ago, see: me at Wal-Mart buying four boxes of the cereal. Fast forward to 20 minutes ago, see: me cracking open the third box of the cereal and deciding to post about it.
-See also: Frosted Mini Chex, Sprite Remix.  more