Writing, reviews, interviews, photography.

Posts from the “Writeups” Category

Meriwether Field Gear pt. 1

Posted on July 23, 2013

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A writeup on The American Classic about Meriwether Field Gear has been a long time coming. Danny reached out to me in April of this year to review some of his products. We’ve never reviewed home goods for the site before and though we have an immense appreciation for well crafted things, this was a new challenge to approach with a different mindset from looking at mens clothing. There’s a lot of great design happening right now, particularly in this sector, and getting a fresh look at this made me reexamine my own home and for that I am very thankful. Meriwether sent us their coat rack/personal organizer, classic six-pack carrier, cedar tree swing, and magnetic key ring holder and shelf. They sent us so much amazing stuff that we have to divide it into two segments in order to give it the attention it deserves. I sent half of the goods to Philly for Steve to try out, most notably that tree swing because if I so much as laid a hand on a tree here in California someone would murder me. In this review, we’ll be talking about the six pack carrier and coat rack. Click here to read the entire post.

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Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

Field Trip: Rising Sun & Co.

Posted on May 20, 2013

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I’ve known about Rising Sun for a surprising amount of time to have never visited them in person. I’ve spent years traveling across the country working on jobs in LA temporarily and noticed them when I used to visit friends in Pasadena and how incredible their shop looked. The American Classic wasn’t what it is now back then and I was lacking the confidence to galavant into a store, camera in tow, and start shooting. Rising Sun invited me out to their incredible workshop/retail space which has now moved to Eagle Rock, CA (not far from Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles) and I was more than happy to make the trek. Click here to read the full article.

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Categories: field trip, Photos, Writeups

In Support of Hank USA

Posted on April 17, 2013
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Hank USA is trying to make our job easier. They’re a brand new web shop peddling only American-made goods with killer curating tactics, collaborations, and good photography. What does that mean for literally everyone who reads this site? A better experience in finding the best stuff made in the USA all in one spot. They’re starting small with some very carefully curated items, a few collaborations and a couple of original products. They’ve separated their shop into three general categories: originals, collaborations, and brands they love. Couldn’t be simpler. Click here to read our interview and see all of the photos.

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Categories: Interviews, Photos, Writeups

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.

Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

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.

Categories: Photos, Writeups