Seersucker Tie + Pocket Square from Aunt Di's Ties: Things I Have

With Memorial Day around the corner it's time to start dusting off the seersucker. Well, for the rest of you at least. I don't abide by the timed rules on when to wear it, so as soon as the sun starts shining in Spring, mine comes out.

But... if you're just getting ready to don your lightweight fabrics, I have some great news in the accessory department. I just received an amazing green seersucker tie and pocket square from Aunt Di's ties. 

Opening the package I could smell the starched goodness and feel the crips texture of the fabric... and it made me think of summer. 

I'm super excited to give these a wear! Get over to their site and check out what else is on offer... or make a special request for your own seersucker goodness.

Sporting Life: New Picks from Bureau of Trade

The folks over at Bureau of Trade never stop. Scouring thousands of products and creating the perfectly themed mix of vintage and new goods... Always with an exacting eye, their recent curation Japan Rising had me drooling over (obviously) cool pocket squares, vintage hantens (a type of winter coat), and locally produced bags.

Today they launch the next edit, The Sporting Life. From sailing to equestrian to gambling there is something for every fan. They gave me a sneak peek at the goods and I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

As regularly evidenced by my picks here, I'm a fan of anything nautical. So the selections from The Keelboat Skipper were perfect.This Seamaster watch by Omega, with it's striped band and navy face stood out as perfect for summer.

And no one goes sailing (or to the beach) without a bottle of rosé to keep cold. So the Insulated Sailing Wine Duffle is a must-have for summer trips to the Hamptons and Provincetown.

Another of the events, The Racetrack Tout spoke to another interest (or fanaticism) of mine -- the horse-bit. Starting with my Gucci loafers (now vintage themselves), the icon of the Italian house always catches my eye. This Vintage Gucci Horse-bit Tie will pair with a white oxford and jeans for warm weather parties, and the subletly of the bit will only be caught by the keenest eye.

Also on offer was a selection of horse lapel pins, which I almost snagged for myself, but decided to leave for one of you to enjoy.

Now there is a lot more to check out -- not just within Sporting Life, but on the Bureau's larger selection of products as well. So head over + see what treasures you can find!

Wearing Thom Browne: Day 3

Well it's warmed up here in NYC and so today I broke out my Thom Browne moleskine pants. I had my eye on these for months last year, and finally picked them up. The pants are a deep burgundy, with gold rimmed buttons on the side tabs (with a red, white, blue elastic strip -- naturally). 

I got them with a three inch cuff, and a three inch break above my ankle... I figure if you're going to wear Thom Browne, then wear Thom Browne!

Paired it today with a TB wool tie, Uniqlo oxford, and a rugged pair of Walk-Over wingtips (similar here).

Fall 2013 Obsession: Ducks

I'm officially declaring ducks as an obsession for Fall 2013. I was recently reading the current issue of Garden & Gun magazine, where they highlighted the work of artist Bradley Gordon. He focuses on painting animals from the Southern U.S. and does so with a method of using chopsticks that adds depth and texture to his work.

Billy Reid is also a fan of Gordon's work and when recently in Atlanta I saw one of his pieces in the store.

Taking a closer look this week hrough Gordon's library of work I was struck by this one of three flying ducks. I pinned it and moved on.

A couple of hours later I saw this image from the Richard James Fall 2013 runway show, in London. While the label Agi & Sam used dogs as their animal motif for Fall, James incorporated ducks -- and I was obsessed. The patchwork jacket is pretty awesome too.

As these things go, I know they'll be more duck inspired items coming my way soon -- just need to keep an eye out for it, and will definitely plan to incorporate into my Fall wardrobe.

Win a Handmade Holiday Bowtie

Well it is holiday giveaway time here at Men's Threads... I just received a one of a kind handmade bowtie from Aunt Di's Ties, perfect for the holidays, and I am gifting it to one of you! 

You just have to tweet at me (@mensthreads) and Aunt Di's Ties (@auntdisties) about how you would wear this awesome snowflake bow. What would you pair it with? Where would you wear it?

This is a 24 hour contest -- I'll pick the winner with the best answer on Friday morning (12/14) and get the tie in the mail to you the same day. 

So get thinking on how you would show this off, and let me know... good luck!

Striped Tie from Band of Outsiders: Things I Have

This weekend I did a little Fall shopping -- the goal was to find a new blazer (which was successful, more to come on that!) but also picked up some new neckwear.

While at Bergdorf's I came across this striped tie from Band of Outsiders. A nice autumn rainbow and the knit gives a great texture for the season.

Can't wait to style + wear it very soon -- stay posted for photo updates!

Aunt Di's Ties: Things I Love

The paisley is not going away... as I've written about (and worn) the "bandana print" ties my aunt has been making for me, more and more people have asked where to get one.

I'll admit, these ties are a definite standout! And as she's made them in a wide range of colors, I have had a lot of fun mixing and matching.

Now, you can get one direct from the source... Aunt Di's Ties, where you can pick your own color + style. They are all hand made in the U.S.

Get over to the site + check them out, and get one for yourself!

Fahlgren Tie: Things I Have

A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the GQ pop-up store done with Nordstrom... it was in the Treasure & Bond space and the team did a fantastic job of merchandising a wide selection of product, from some of my favorite designers. There was a lot of Todd Snyder, a great Michael Bastian double-breasted jacket, and a vintage watch case (which I wasn't expecting).

They also had stocked a number of Fahlgren ties, and Brett Fahlgren himself was in the shop that day, helping customers with products and dong some visual merchandising. So I thought it was a great chance to pick up one of the pieces from his line...

Of course my instinct was to grab something in navy, but I stopped myself and instead chose this red and gray striped tie. It still complements the abundance of navy I own, and is a nice staple to have.

Even though it is better suited to a little later in Fall (when the temp drops), I couldn't resist wearing it and so rocked it to the Michael Bastian show... I loved how the whole look came together + can't wait to give it another wear soon.

Check out Brett's site for more details on the rest of the line -- and you can buy one directly from Nordstrom here.

Striped Bowtie from Hackett: Things I Have

My friend Mitchell, an intrepid traveler, recently returned from London and sent me a great striped bowtie. He picked it up at Hackett the British brand founded in 1979.

The blue in the stripe is light enough for summer, and the tie has a great texture to it.

 

I am always a fan of stripe-on-stripe action, so I paired it today with a red and white Shipley & Halmos shirt.

Can't wait to keep wearing this new tie through the summer... cheers!

Striped Anchor tie from Haberdash: Things I Have

While in Haberdash (the Chicago menswear store), I picked up a little piece of Spring. Well at least that's the best description I can give to a blue and white striped tie, with red anchors on it.

My fascination with anchors (or all things nautical, really) hasn't subsided and so when I saw this I knew I needed to add it to my S/S '12 rotation.

Yesterday it was forecast to hit 61 degrees in NY and so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to give my new tie a wear... here with a Uniqlo oxford and Loden and Dager blazer.

Stay tuned for more Spring looks as temperatures increase...

Tie from Uniform Experiment: Things I Want

I just came across these ties from Japanese brand uniform experiment and love them! The two-toned contrast is awesome and would definitely stand out when worn. I also dig the logo action "UE" on the bottom.

The black and darker blue version is my favorite, will definitely look to pick one of these up.

You can find more details at Hypebeast...

Green Corduroy Tie from Unis: Things I Have

I landed in L.A. this afternoon and made a beeline to the new UNIS store on La Brea. Sure, I'm very familiar with their store in NYC but being both a retail and menswear junkie, I wanted to see what they'd crafted on the West Coast.

Maybe it was the Southern California sun streaming in the front window, or the exposed beams and sparse furnishings... but something about the space just clicked and I found it incredibly well done.

While there I picked up the latest Inventory, a Le Labo candle, and this really great green corduroy tie.

Their selection of ties came in a variety of colors, and I've been on the hunt for a solid tie to replace the Tom Ford one I left on the 1 train (a very long story)...

Check out GQ's coverage of the store opening, with some great pics!

Striped Tie by Lanvin: Things I Have

Recently I needed a tie last minute before an event... so I ran over to Jeffrey's (thankful it is close to my office) and checked out their selection. I had a really cool Band of Outsiders tie in hand, until the sales person pulled this one off the rack...

I loved the very traditional blue and green stripes, with the gold outline. It was exactly what I needed, I grabbed it, and ran!

Just wore it to an event tonight and thought it worked quite nicely.

Plaid Wool Tie from Thom Browne: Things I Have

While in L.A. the past week I did some shopping (hello, Filson bag). One thing I saw and could not resist was this plaid shetland wool tie by Thom Browne.

I loved the red/white/blue plaid (not surprising from TB) but also the texture and chunkiness of the wool. It'll be perfect to wear as Fall approaches and the temperatures drop.

Now I found mine at Barney's but this photo is courtesy of Park & Bond. Go see what else they have from Mr. Browne!

Raw Silk Tie: Things I Have

Last weekend while in NYC I did a little bit of shopping. I had some time before the Loden Dager show and so stopped into Bergdorf's... namely I wanted to see the Spring collection from Marlon Gobel. But as I walked in there was a mannequin wearing a seersucker jacket and an amazing raw silk tie.

I was totally taken and went to check out the full line of these ties... by Drake's of London, for Bergdorf's. After a lot of indecision (there were so many great color combinations), I settled on this one with red, white, and blue stripes.

It just really caught my eye, and gave me a sort of Thom Browne moment.

Of course I then had to wear it out! So here's me doing NYFW in aforementioned raw silk tie. I love it!

Things I Want: Gitman Ties

I never have an occasion to wear ties anymore, but have been thinking that I want to start again. I'd actually asked my Dad if he still had any of the old knit ties, wool ties, ties with roosters on them that I remember as a child. Unfortunately he's given them away.

So in my quest for new neckwear I'd like to start with some great patterns + colors from Gitman! Check out this great one that I found on the Blackbird blog.

Gitman has released a ton of new styles and Blackbird has picked up a lot of them. Check out the rest here: http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/2010/02/give-em-enough-thread-gitman-vintage.html