Writing, reviews, interviews, photography.

Posts by A. Frankel

Alfred Lane Solid Colognes

Posted on March 5, 2014

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On today’s docket, we have a small company in Chicago selling “solid colognes”. Ever heard of it? Neither had I. Unsolicited reviews are a tricky beast here at The American Classic; our policy is typically that we’ll take a look at whatever you’ve got but there’s no guarantee you’ll get a review. We’d much rather talk about the things we love and think you should love, too, rather than dwell on negative things. The gents from Alfred Lane reached out a few weeks ago for a review and following our policy, they’ve found themselves with this review because their product is fucking cool. Based in Chicago, these guys have released a line of compact, solid colognes that are designed to be thrown in a bag and reapplied whenever. They’re unobtrusive, packaged in a super slick vintage-inspired sliding tin, and provide an easy way to apply with zero mess. Read the full article here.

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Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

Field Trip: Berkeley Supply Co. in Denver, CO.

Posted on January 13, 2014

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Every December for the past 7 years, I’ve made the pilgrimage to Steamboat Springs, CO. for some winter sports action. I like Steamboat a lot; it’s casual all of the time (read: don’t have to wear a fur coat to fit in), the mountain isn’t as miserably crowded as others, and the town has a great homey feel that some of the other ski towns lack. Every year we fly into Denver and make the 3-4 hour drive into the mountains. Every year we make the 3-4 hour drive back to Denver and fly out. I have distant family that lives in Denver and I never visit them because I’m an asshole and I really should make more time for them. This trip I did just that and had a few extra hours to kill so I swung by Berkeley Supply Co. who, like my family, I’ve been meaning to visit for a while. It was now or never so my girlfriend and I trekked over to the Tennyson district to check out the shop.

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Categories: field trip, Photos, Travels, Writeups

A Recap of 2013

Posted on January 7, 2014

Happy New Year!

2013 was another big year for us here at The American Classic. We celebrated yet another birthday and couldn’t be happier to be around to see another New Year as well. We like to do a little number crunching annually to gauge how we did and where we’d like to go in the upcoming year. This helps us stay on top of what we’re doing by reminding ourselves of what kinds of articles do the best here. In 2013 we visited 12 shops, shot 10 separate brands, released several new creative writing series, released a new video promoting upcoming works, released two seasonal playlists, and traveled to 5 different cities for coverage. Our viewership is up 150% from 2012 which was up an enormous 536% from 2011. Our Instagram account alone increased it’s following by a solid 500% this year which really makes us proud given that our account was created by accident after Rogue Territory errantly tagged us. We added Leslie Zacharkow to the team, a talented developer and designer working with us on a few different projects. All of this means progress for us and we’re really happy to be here doing it. As we said this time last year, there will be plenty of new programming this year and lots of features that will take us more in-depth with brands. Be looking for updates to how the site looks and feels and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to say hello. Here’s to another year!

Our Top Posts of 2013:

Hank USA

Battle Royale of the American Made Shirt Vol. 3

Rising Sun Denim




Almond Surfboards

Tradesmen LA

Blueprint Coffee

East & West

Categories: Announcements

Jeffrey George Co. Shirts

Posted on December 20, 2013
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I live in Santa Monica, CA. which means that the weather is amazing almost all of the time. While you chumps were out shoveling snow, my friend Wes and I were out shooting shirts for Jeffrey George Co. in perfect 75 degree weather. We went to a park near where I live which was jammed with primarily families as well as a pretty massive group of geriatric residents doing tai chi. Santa Monica is home to many different walks of life but predominantly families as well as elderly folks. I do a lot of photo shoots in my neighborhood; it’s a beautiful place. Every time I do, I get a lot of weird looks and a lot of people asking questions. When we shot the Battle Royale of the American Made Shirt in 2012, I was asked no less than 10 times if we were shooting for GQ. Flattering, yes of course but it got the models in a weird mood and suddenly it felt like we had to put on a show of making this a “fashion photo shoot”. I went to 7-11 before we met and grabbed an Arizona Iced Green Tea and shoved it in a paper bag. No one will ask you questions when you’re carrying a tall can in a paper bag. Thusly, we had a very peaceful photo shoot. I had Wes jump in a shopping cart we found just for fun and a homeless man passed us (you can see him in the photo). He didn’t even bat an eye. Perfect camouflage.

Jeffrey George is a young company designing mens shirts and neckwear. Like most companies, this is a great starting point because there are many manufacturers based in the US specializing in these products and they’re quick sells to get a brand off the ground. Everyone needs shirts. I find that just when I think I’ve got enough and won’t be needing any more, something happens (read: life) and I have to replace one or get another for some sort of event. We reviewed two shirts for Jeffrey George: their standard Blue Oxford shirt featuring Japanese oxford cloth and their denim shirt featuring a very lightweight denim, almost like chambray. Click here to read the review and view the photos.

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Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

Field Trip: East & West

Posted on December 16, 2013

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I had been hearing about East & West in St. Louis for a while; being from the area and still having a few friends there, they’d always tell me how I had to visit the shop next time I was in town. I went a year without going back to St. Louis so when I did around Thanksgiving, I made damn sure to check the place out. Brian Simpson runs an incredible shop, which is actually located in the Kirkwood neighborhood, just a little south and west of the city. I was blown away to find out that he carries brands like Rogue Territory, 3sixteen, Teranishi Brand, Apolis, and more. Not only are these all brands we’re huge fans of but any top level shop you’ll see in major markets carries these brands as well. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little hometown pride. Click here to view the interview and photos.

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Categories: field trip, Photos, Travels