Todd Snyder Spring 2013: NYFW Review

Over the weekend I got into a vigorous debate about Todd Snyder's Spring collection. Some felt it was too safe and similar to his past work. My opinion is that Snyder continues to deliver high quality, well tailored pieces in a tight collection that are consistent to his core aesthetic, with seasonal variances. 

For Spring he did just this, keeping within the arena for which his popularity is growing, but through an inspired lens... in this case the film The English Patient.

Since the v-neck tee I bought from his Spring '12 collection is the softest and most comfortable I've ever owned, I definitely gravitated to this lightweight long-sleeved sweater with a chest pocket. Paired with white shorts with low slung pockets, it is casual but with an obvious luxury and refinement.

Another area that Snyder has excelled is outerwear. In fact I just tried on a fantastic quilted reversible cropped jacket for Fall that I may just have to buy... with that in mind, this cropped navy jacket for Spring caught my eye. With the khaki/khaki shirt and tie combo (which I already own from him), this jacket would get a lot of wear.

I think my favorite piece from the collection was this double breasted jacket. Snyder's suiting has been a staple of the line (as seen through his recent pop-up at Odin) and I am confident this will also fit perfectly. The color keeps it versatile, and worn here with shorts and boots shows you can definitely dress it up or down.

Needless to say, I remain a fan of Todd Snyder and will be shopping Spring when it hits stores. Get over to GQ for a full set of photos.

Men's Threads Giveaway: American Giant V-Neck Tees

Recently I wrote about a new brand launching out of San Francisco producing sweatshirts with an amazing quality, fit, and price... American Giant. Every time I wear their Snap Cardigan Sweatshirt I get compliments, and it is now the most comfortable thing in my closet.

So I was excited to hear that they've now also launched t-shirts... This week the American Giant V-Neck comes out and in my test runs so far it's as well constructed and easy to wear as their other pieces. And it is built with a shallow "v" -- giving the tee a casual look but maintaining a classic shape.

Now the best part for you is that American Giant wants to share some of these great shirts with Men's Threads readers! The first five to re-tweet this post and follow @American_Giant will get one of these Made in the USA v-necks. So what are you waiting for...

You can learn more about the tees here + check out the other wares on the American Giant site! Happy shopping (and tweeting)!

I'll DM the 5 winners via Twitter for shipping information...

Striped Tee by A.P.C.: Things I Want

It's almost May and the build-up of my summer wardrobe continues. I came across this striped tee from A.P.C. on Mr. Porter and loved the shock of color.

A nice variety of stripes (especially the big yellow block) that allow this to be worn with any combo of jeans, shorts, swimsuits this summer.

Definitely on my want list!

Lady Gaga Tee from Artisanal Ansatz: Things I Want

From that source of so much that is cool, Hypebeast, I got hooked on these celebrity driven tees. Created by an art collective in Belgium, the tees feature fashion, music, film personalities... but the drawings were all done with ballpoint pen.

The collective, Artisanal Ansatz, has created drawings of David Bowie, to Snoop Dogg, to Karl Lagerfeld (naturally). Given I already own a Brazilian made voodoo doll of Karl I decided the Coke can-in hair-on the phone Gaga was my favorite...

If you're as intrigued by these as I am, you can find Gaga here and the others here.

Anna Dello Russo T-Shirt: Things I Love (and Want)

Ack! I am dying right now at how badly I love these Anna Dello Russo t-shirts! They are amazing!

I came across them this morning on Fashion Week Daily, which linked me to Yoox, who told me they are sold out. So sad.

I love seeing the street photos of Anna at all of the shows, seeing the inside of her closet, and more recently reading her blog: www.annadellorusso.com.

Let me know when the shirts are available again and I will be first in line! Trust!

Things I Want: T-Shirt from Olasul

Today one of my favorite sites (Selectism) posted about a new surf inspired line (yes, yes, I know... I am surf crazy right now) from NYC called Olasul.

They have some really great trunks and shorts for summer, and a t-shirt design that I think is new + different. The washed look of the shirt keeps it casual, but the contrasting colored pocket really stands out.

I loved the photo from the lookbook, where they've paired it all with some navy espadrilles (which I just happened to have picked up in France last summer).

Here is another look at the shirt... very cool!

Read the whole article at Selectism: http://www.selectism.com/news/2010/05/04/olasul-springsummer-2010-swimwear/ and also check out the brand's own site: Olasul.

Things I Have: Warriors of Radness T-Shirt

I've thought Warriors of Radness has rocked ever since they launched the line... bright blocks of color, very sun + surf oriented, and simple designs.

This week on Gilt I picked up a t-shirt and some new swim trunks (I'll share more about those later). The items are both in the mail, but I thought I'd share a photo from the Gilt site of the t-shirt. I love it! Perfect for summer (even though I don't surf).

Check out the rest of the WOR sale at: http://www.giltman.com/sale/splash/love/21901507. Rock on!

Things I Want: Saturday Surf NYC T-shirt

Ready for some wardrobe additions for summer? I am! And today I saw a fun t-shirt collection from Saturdays Surf NYC.

I think the worn and heathered look on the gray shirt is fantastic, and the simple lettering gets across the branding in a fun way.

This style comes in three colors (gray, red, and black) and there are other styles to choose from in the collection. Check them all out here (courtesty of Inven.tory): http://www.inventorynyc.com/saturdays-surf-nyc/141-surf-nyc-tee-grey.html.

Things I Have: Kickass Uniqlo T-shirt

On my recent trip to Shanghai I picked up a few things (see prior posts on shoes, t-shirts, jeans). One of my buys had been a really cool striped t-shirt from Uniqlo, which my brother Adam subsequently said he wanted.

So... I decided to give it to him and get a new one for myself.

Enter this awesome + kickass shirt with cool Japanese illustration and an exclamatory phrase whose meaning escapes me. Kiiiiiiin!!

Can't wait to rock this around L.A. as an addition to my tees from Japan that no one here has.

Check it out on the Uniqlo Japan site: http://store.uniqlo.com/jp/CSaGoods/289399-16-002

Things I Have: Uniqlo T-Shirt

In my recent excursion to Uniqlo (see my previous post about my new gray jeans) I also picked up this really cute striped t-shirt.

Uniqlo is known for their awesome t-shirt range -- crazy Manga shirts, Polaroids of Terry Richardson, funny phrases. They have it all. I liked the various colors on this one, and it was on sale for 99 RMB. Can't go wrong!

But this weekend I am venturing to Shanghai's Super Brands mall, where they have a Uniqlo flagship, and hopefully I can find a few more goodies.

If you want this shirt, here's the link from Uniqlo's Japanese site. You can also use it to see all of their current t-shirt designs: http://store.uniqlo.com/jp/CSaGoods/293421-00

Things I Want: Matthew Williamson Menswear

So this is my second attempt at posting about Matthew Williamson... last year I re-posted an image from his collab with H&M and was asked to remove it. The collection with H&M was Matthew's first foray into menswear and there were some pretty fun pieces. Although in the end I only took home the beach towel.

Well friends, now there's a menswear collection under Matthew Williamson's own label and from the initial shots I think it's pretty great!

Love the cardigan, the hand-decorated t-shirt, and the bright and beautiful scarf. Amazing!

You can head over to Fashionisto and check out some other images: http://thefashionisto.com/blog/2010/01/news-matthew-williamson-menswear-debut/

Things I Have: T-Shirt by Bandi Panda

Well, I am on a work project to find cool artists in Shanghai... so today I went to the satellite location of Shanghart, one of the largest galleries in the city.

While I was there I saw a few t-shirts on display by a Beijing artist -- Bandi Panda. He does apparel and t-shirts on his runway shows. The t-shirts were very tongue-in-cheek and a bit political, but I thought they were super fun!

I bought two -- the one seen here, which on the back says "Web Celebrity" and one that has a woman plastered with designer labels and on the back says "Fashion Victim". I'll give one to the person at work who tasked me with scouring the galleries of Shanghai (so RD if you're reading this, you can choose which of the two designs you want).

If you're equally intrigued, you can check out the other designs at: http://arty.cn/arty/books/work.htm?id=8605