Writing, reviews, interviews, photography.

Posts by A. Frankel

NorthernGRADE Los Angeles Is Coming

Posted on March 15, 2013

I was hanging out with our pal Karl Thoennessen from Rogue Territory last night and he mentioned that NorthenGRADE, the menswear-centric pop-up shop located frequently between Chicago and Minneapolis (though recently moving around a bit), was coming to our fair city. Wouldn’t you know it? He was right. The show carries on here in sunny Los Angeles, CA. and oh-so soon. If you’re in the area, this is probably your best bet in the next year (at least) to see anything like this happening in LA so I highly recommend going out. Brand list and info posted in the image above, abridged version below. Real deal details here.

NorthernGRADE Los Angeles

April 6 & 7

821 E. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA. 90013

American Trench Wool Herringbone Socks

Posted on February 26, 2013

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I’ve never written a review for socks before but I figure these are a pretty good first pair to talk about. American Trench has socks, in addition to their namesake trench coat, and man are they cool. They’ve got a few different types, some more universally useful than others, but today we’ll be talking briefly about their wool herringbone ones. If you’re not familiar with the Philadelphia based company, I suggest you become acquainted as soon as possible.

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Socks are pretty simple when it comes down to it. There isn’t much to the anatomy of one and most components are rather self explanatory (toe, heel, etc.), though a term you probably haven’t heard is “gusset”. The “gusset” is the triangular piece that holds the leg and foot portion of the sock together. There’s your vocab word for the day. I had to dig for that one.

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These socks are a little heavier in weight; I’m enjoying them in our fall-like temperatures here in Southern California and I’m certain that the rest of you toiling away in a snowy existence would find these quite comfortable as well. They’re unbelievably soft and thus far have been a total joy to pair with breaking in some new boots. They’re not terribly thick; they don’t remind me of my ski socks I wear under my Red Wings when I visit family and friends in the midwest and East coast, but they’re not summer weight socks either. When you’ve gotta have socks and you want something a bit classier with some heft, here’s your pair. Definitely better looking than my usual go-to smart wools.

Pair these with some wingtips or your dress-shoe of choice and something that fits your color scheme and you’ve got a winning sock combo. They come in three shades, a navy/red pair (pictured), a light/dark grey (pictured), and a dark grey/red/black.

They currently retail for $27. You can purchase these socks from American Trench directly by clicking here.

The Battle Royale of the American Made Shirt: Vol. 3 (Finale)

Posted on February 19, 2013

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Welcome to Volume 3 of the Battle Royale of the American-Made Shirt. The idea behind this article started with a simple purchasing conundrum; there are plenty of great brands out there and with a few parameters set forth, how can we really narrow down what shirt is the best for our needs as a consumer? Our rules were simple:

  1. We wanted a shirt that would appeal to the masses, though showcased each company’s best effort, that fit the average cut guy very well.
  2. The shirt had to be made in the United States of America.
  3. If it could be helped, the shirt had to be under $200.00

After doing research, this proved to be far more difficult than we had anticipated. When it comes down to it, many brands aren’t familiar with the origins of their fabric or didn’t make the shirts themselves. Most of our favorites – the really distinctive patterns – were typically beyond the allotted price point. You will see that we did make a few exceptions along the way but stayed true to these rules for the most part. Most of the brands were quick to point out that in differentiating between most labels with the exception of a very select few American makers, all shirts are essentially the same. The variables are in the fabric and the cut with only slight variation in construction seen across the board. Once you’ve seen one shirt, you’ve seen most of them; or so it seemed.
We have taken the approach to looking at these shirts as someone who puts average wear on clothing with occasional days working in the field on creative projects and more frequent days sitting behind a desk. We tested all of these shirts and combined our opinions with those of the fit models who wore them for the photo shoots. The brands we will review in this volume are New England Shirt Co. (based in Fall River, MA.), Hamilton Shirts (based in Houston, TX.), and the unannounced newcomer Ratio Clothing. This is the final volume of this series of articles; the winner will be announced at the end. Click below to read the full article.

Field Trip: Tradesmen LA

Posted on January 22, 2013

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A few weeks ago I visited a mens lifestyle shop in Venice, CA. called Tradesmen LA. The shop has an amazing selection of Baldwin and Tellason Denim, all the Velva-Sheen products you’ve never seen for sale before, Ursa Major, Pendleton, Five Brother, Palmer Trading Co., Rogue Territory, Truman Handcrafted, and more. Do a quick search on some of the lesser known brands they carry and you’ll find that much of their stock cleans up in the Japanese market, making this shop even more of a find for the dudes of LA. This is the kind of place you go for top of the line wardrobe staples that you can dress up or down and feel comfortable wearing without reservation as the craftsmanship is just that great. Click here to read the full article.

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