The Thursday Buy: Step into Early Fall with these Rugged Leather Chukka Boots from FRYE

No matter the year or what else might be happening in the world of broader men’s style trends, there are classics I reach for time and time again, be it my favorite henley, a rugged shirt jacket or — in the case of today’s post — a pair of the best leather chukka boots for men.

It’s all about a pair of boots with the right construction, style and dependability, and that’s where I turn towards FRYE and the company’s legendary FRYE Bowery Chukka Boots — how about yourself? I’ve found that there’s hardly a season in which the Northeast-based FRYE doesn’t provide the proper boots in terms of rugged appeal and exceptional style.

That’s the case whether you’re searching for some of the best men’s boots for spring or again, the richly crafted FRYE Bowery Chukka Boots for early fall (and beyond). The best leather chukka boots are like a Swiss Army Knife in your footwear rotation: Casual enough to wear with dark blue jeans, cleaned up enough to wear with corduroy pants and your favorite Oxford shirt, and made to look better with age (if you like to put your boots through some wear and tear, that is).

Best leather chukka boots for men.

The FRYE Bowery Chukka Boots are built with plenty of useful bells and whistles, including a supportive three-eyelet lacing system that extends higher up the ankle than other pairs of men’s chukka boots. In the case of this pair shown here, the tan oiled vintage leather is handsome and elegantly rugged, and aside from that, the PORON footbed forms to your foot over time.

For good measure, the lug sole is injected with rubber for some added spring in your step, which should make the FRYE Bowery Chukka Boots as comfortable as they are stylish. They’re also finished with waxed laces for a sleek touch, and should you prefer a different shade than tan leather, FRYE offers four other colors in a range of sizes.

If all those specs line up with what you need (and they should!), then it sounds like the FRYE Bowery Chukka Boots could become your new favorite pair of leather boots for fall (and beyond).

See Now, Buy Now: Ease Into Early Fall with a Cozy Relwen Workshirt from Huckberry

Best men's shirt jacket.

It’s like I often say on this Brooklyn men’s style blog: Sometimes, a proper wardrobe is built well in advance of when you might need it. You don’t know that you need the best menswear from Huckberry until you really need it, I say (more on that in a second).

And in the same way that you sometimes start shopping for summer style essentials in the early spring, the exact same holds true for fall — and for the best fall menswear, at that.

While you might not need one of the best men’s shirt jackets at this very moment as we roll into a balmy Labor Day weekend, the time will soon come where layering up is of the essence. Or, heck, maybe you need to stock up on a rugged shirt jacket right this instant. Either way: In my experience, you should certainly do yourself a favor and snag the excellent Relwen Soft Brushed Utility Workshirt while you’ve got time to spare.

I’ve loved Relwen menswear over the years for its blend of rugged appeal and modern functionality. As you very well might know, the brand takes inspiration from military heritage styles, then uses soft, durable fabrics and more modern cuts. And as it were, you can expect much of the same from the Relwen Utility Workshirt.

Relwen workshirt review.

The key here is the use of soft cotton plus spandex for stretch, and then the details carry the day from there. Two front-button chest pockets deliver storage space for your everyday carry essentials, and beyond that, the fit should prove roomy enough to layer atop your go-to henley or a thermal shirt.

Preparation often makes perfect as you develop a wardrobe filled with the best menswear from Huckberry (or anywhere else, for that matter). And when it comes to this pleasingly rugged, cozy and versatile workshirt, you’ll be more than prepared for what lies ahead.

The Tuesday Steal: Get Up to 50 Percent Off the Best Men’s Gear at the Bespoke Post End of Summer Sale

If you swing by the pages of The Style Guide with any regularity, you know that I can’t quite pass up the best menswear deals — that holds true any day of the week, but it kicks into high gear around the holidays. Or in this case, it kicks into high gear as summer comes to a close and we start looking (slowly but surely) toward early fall.

The best Labor Day weekend deals are here but for a short time, and the Bespoke Post End of Summer Sale has those deals on full display — for a limited time, of course. Just like a few of your other favorite online men’s retailers, including the fine folks at Huckberry, Bespoke Post in fact does so much more than just men’s style essentials.

In fact, it seems that the Bespoke Post Sale section is never not well-stocked, which also holds true as we close out summer.

Forsake Davos High Boots for men.

Breezy temperatures and sunny days are likely to stick around for a while yet, so you can take full advantage of everything the jam-packed Bespoke Post Sale section has to offer. By that, I mean you can score savings on fall-ready picks (like the rugged Forsake Davos High Boots as seen above) in addition to warm-weather selections like the Line of Trade Breeze Shorts.

Rugged Columbia men's watch.

You can even find a rugged Columbia men’s watch for under $40, which is positively astounding savings at this point in the season. Elsewhere, the Bespoke Post End of Summer Sale will have you set for camping trips (via outdoor tent deals), cooking (with savings on a selection of kitchen knives) and crisp fall mornings (save big on coffee equipment!).

The wide range available right now via the Bespoke Post End of Summer Sale has to be seen (and shopped) to be believed, so go right ahead and do precisely that as we roll into Labor Day weekend. Cheers, my friends.

See Now, Buy Now: The Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans are Your New Favorite Everyday Jeans

Best blue jeans for men.

If you ask me, it’s mighty valuable to lean into the pieces you absolutely love wearing when it comes to your wardrobe, and particularly when it comes to your favorite pair of jeans. By that, I mean that once you find a brand you love, or a fit you love, you can build a versatile wardrobe with those building blocks, and then mix and match from there.

Best Mott and Bow jeans for men.

So, the best men’s blue jeans can wear as easily with your favorite pocket T-shirt as they can with a standout Oxford shirt, so… those blue jeans had better be a dependable, stylish pair. And while you’re very likely tempted to reach for a pair of light wash jeans for spring and summer, a pair of timeless blue jeans in a dark wash are about as reliable as it gets.

All of this is to say, in my experience, you can certainly find your new favorite pair of blue jeans at Mott and Bow. Don’t believe me? Take a closer look for yourself (with more to come in this post today).

You’re very likely familiar with the NYC denim upstart from the pages of this blog — I’ve had nothing but great experiences in terms of durability, wearability and style since I first tried the brand in 2015 (talk about a major throwback). That still holds true today with the Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans, as essential a pair of men’s denim as you’re apt to find.

Mott and Bow denim review.

The Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans have received more than 180 reviews at an average of 4.6 stars, no easy feat in a crowded denim market — but man cannot survive on customer reviews alone, so it’s worth taking a closer look at this pair of crisply designed blue jeans. The Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans are made with a slightly heaver, medium-weight 13oz. cotton denim — this should make them an ideal pair of blue jeans for early fall through into winter.

Meet the Classic Full Zip Hoodie: pictured in both men's and women's. Available in an array of colors.

They feature 1 percent elastane (as opposed to Mott and Bow’s customary 2 percent), but the design of these jeans is still focused on comfort stretch denim. They’re also done up in the brand’s Slim fit, which features a 15.5″ leg opening. And yet, you can still score the Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans in either the brand’s Skinny or Straight fits.

I’ve tried both Slim and Straight with the Mott and Bow Oliver Jeans and other pairs, and find that the Straight Leg fit works nicely with bulkier leather work boots or Blundstone boots. The Slim fit is a better pairing with low-top or high-top sneakers. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

Best Selling Honey Collection

And Mott and Bow’s signature deep blue color is the real winner here: These jeans are dressy enough to wear with your favorite blazer, casual enough to wear with a rugged henley, and durable enough to hang in there, season after season. Your new go-to pair of jeans is calling, my friends.

The Sunday Sale: It’s the Last Day to Shop the Todd Snyder End of Summer Sale

Todd Snyder End of Summer Sale 2023

You could call it summer’s last gasp, or you could simply call it a fine time to keep wearing (and shopping for) all-season essentials, the kind of menswear must-haves that can pull double-duty through late summer and into early fall. I say, why not both? That goes for rugged menswear and EDC gear in spades, particularly from one of your favorite men’s style brands.

Timex x Todd Snyder review.

And that’s where the Todd Snyder End of Summer Sale can help you freshen up your wardrobe for the weeks and months ahead — it’s not simply stocked with warm-weather gear, after all. And one important note: Although we’ve talked about the best menswear deals from the famed American designer in recent weeks, there’s a catch.

That catch? It’s the VERY LAST DAY (emphasis mine!) of the Todd Snyder End of Summer Sale. The savings are just as essential as ever, with the chance to save up to 75 percent off select styles (by way of an extra 30 percent off already-reduced gear).

Simply use the code ENDOFSUMMER30 to save on a bit of everything, be it the best men’s jeans, a classic Oxford shirt or breezy shorts you can wear to those last few bonfires (oh, and next summer, too). There’s quite literally no time to waste in this instance — the clock is ticking — so go forth and stock up your cart ASAP.

Style Pick of the Week: Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt – Your New Favorite Shirt Jacket

Taylor Stitch men's shirting.

In my experience, the building blocks of any good wardrobe (which we tend to talk about time and time again here on the blog!) are the pieces you know you can count on in matters of style, functionality and versatility — season after season. It’s should come as no shock that season after season, Taylor Stitch is one of those brands in my personal array of stylish gear.

There’s always something you can count on, especially as we approach the rugged climes of early fall, in the Taylor Stitch New Arrivals section, and the even better thing is, the brand never really strays too far from what it does best: Timeless, rugged everyday selections in useful designs (like one of the best shirt jackets), updated seasonally in cool colors and fabrics.

And on that note, meet the Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt. Or rather, get a reintroduction to this highly wearable shirt jacket as we close out summer.

The latest iteration of the Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt retains all the hallmarks of other Taylor Stitch shirts and shirt jackets, like button-through chest pockets and bar-tack stitching at key stress points. Plus, this edition of the Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt comes in a soft, garment-washed organic cotton French terry fabric, and the Charcoal color is finished with monochromatic charcoal buttons.

It also comes in a cool, classic Fatigue Olive color, but the real benefit to the Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt is, well, its utility. It’s heavier than the brand’s Oxford shirts, but made from organic cotton French terry fabric, unlike the brushed flannel quality of the famed Taylor Stitch Yosemite Shirt.

You should be able to wear your new favorite shirt jacket reliably right now — on cool late summer nights and breezy mornings — with a classic pocket tee, and then I’d suggest layering up this durable shirt jacket over your favorite henley as fall rolls on. You can count on Taylor Stitch, and you can assuredly count on the Taylor Stitch Utility Shirt to sort out your layering game from now through the season ahead.

The Friday Read: Taylor Stitch x GoRuck & A Michigan Weekend Up North

Taylor Stitch x GoRuck gear review.

Every time I head out in Brooklyn or head back to my home state of Pure Michigan, I often find myself looking for the most rugged, functional menswearI can find, whether for park strolls, brewery visits or a day perusing Brooklyn record shops. It might be the fact that when I head home, I’m thinking of the clothing I grew up wearing, which just so happens to be the sort of clothing that can come in mighty handy these days, too.

Or, it might be the fact that rugged gear is the name of the game now in Williamsburg and beyond, but I know a fitting menswear collaboration when I see it. And folks, the latest Taylor Stitch x GoRuck partnership fits the bill quite nicely.

And given that I’m on the road once more — back to Michigan for an Up North vacation, as opposed to seeing The National! — these are the kind of pieces that should come in mighty handy on late summer road trips and beyond, all the while merging form and function quite expertly.

Taylor Stitch x GoRuck

It’s the first collaboration between the San Francisco menswear brand and GoRuck, a brand known for remarkably hard-wearing EDC gear, backpacks, duffle bags and more (they’re billed as making the “toughest rucking & workout gear on the planet”).

Rucking, for the uninitiated, is any type of walking or hiking with a weighted backpack, and Taylor Stitch x GoRuck takes things a step further.

It’s a six-piece capsule collection entitled The Hard Road Loadout, and the Taylor Stitch x GoRuck collection boasts everything from a tactical hat to a merino base layer tee, a sleek quarter-zip base layer and a Rain Drop Camo version of GoRuck’s flagship GR1 pack. It’s finished off with durable waxed canvas, and the collection also features a packable shell jacket made with GORUCK’s legendary ToughDry© fabric.

GoRuck x Taylor Stitch review.

In short, it’s about as much as you could ask for in terms of remarkably tough yet stylish gear made for camping trips, day hikes and that final summer getaway. Of course, each piece will last well beyond that, and I can get behind that sort of dependability and performance.

Check out Taylor Stitch x GoRuck (as I will this weekend in my spare time in Michigan), and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Cheers to getting out there, my friends!

The Thursday Buy: This Rugged Buck Mason Crew is the Perfect Layer to End Summer

Best lightweight sweater for men.

There’s going to come a time in your search for men’s style essentials where you need a piece or two that the line between “too much” and “just right.” Allow me to explain, folks.

In the same way that you need a lightweight blazer and lightweight men’s jeans for summer, rather than something cut for fall or winter, a transitional T-shirt to carry you from late summer into early fall can prove quite handy in a multitude of situations — even more than you might think, in fact.

And this, my friends, is where Buck Mason comes into play with the Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew. If you follow along with the blog, you know it’s easier than ever to find what you’re looking for at the rugged, all-American retailer, and the ante is upped even further.

You see, the Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew is neither as lightweight as the brand’s perfectly breezy, expertly crafted USA-made tees, nor is it as heavy as some Buck Mason sweaters for the fall and winter months — in short, it’s the perfect T-shirt to close out summer and look towards fall.

And as its name would imply, the Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew is a rough-and-tumble piece you can wear casually (beneath a chambray shirt or your favorite zip hoodie at a late summer bonfire) or for pursuits far afield (layered over a waxed jacket on a camping trip). It’s made from a cotton jersey fabric that’s twice as heavy as Buck Mason T-shirts, so it should drape nicely and layer easily.

Note that the Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew also features a side-split hem and reinforced stitching at the elbows, not unlike some traditional rugby polo shirts (minus the somewhat dressier collar).

And the Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew features a tailored fit with room to move (likely similar to other Buck Mason tees, in my experience). It’s the kind of rugged layer every guy can use, particularly if you want a stylish tee to wear with jeans, yet not one that’s as light as the option you’d reach for in the high heat of summer.

You see? The Buck Mason Field-Spec Rugby Crew is neither too heavy nor too light: It’s just right, and in my experience, that’s what your wardrobe needs now. Go to it, my friends.

See Now, Buy Now: The American Giant Roughneck Pants are Rugged and Ready for Anything

American Giant Roughneck Pants.

Being ready for just about anything in the menswear world (and in your late summer and early fall pursuits) means having the right tools for the job in your wardrobe before it’s too late. Now, I don’t literally mean tools, but I mean rugged menswear essentials you can wear on a weekend adventure, on a Sunday park stroll, to a brewery or even to a casual office.

In fact, I mean the American Giant Roughneck Pants, a certified modern style classic ready to work as hard as you do. And if you scan the pages of The Style Guide regularly, you know that American Giant certainly works hard to make some of the best USA-made menswear season after season — these hard-wearing work pants are no exception.

In my personal experience, they’re as suited for play (brewery beers, anyone?) as they are for work in the field, day hikes and beyond, and there’s plenty that makes the American Giant Roughneck Pants as exceptional as they are.

In my personal experience with the very well-reviewed American Giant Roughneck Pants (which garnered an average rating of 4.5 stars over nearly 800 reviews!), they’re about everything you could want in a durable, versatile pair of pants. Sure, they’re more casual than your favorite pair of stretch chinos, but no less wearable with, say, an Oxford shirt or a classic chambray shirt (of course).

The American Giant Roughneck Pants feature all the hallmarks of the brand’s sturdy, USA-made production, including durable stretch cotton canvas fabric that’s woven in Georgia. These five-pocket pants, modeled after classic jeans, are then finished in Texas with custom metal hardware. And for good measure, your new favorite pair of pants come six colors and in both Slim and Straight fits.

Either option would be a fine fit worn right now with classic canvas sneakers, and the American Giant Roughneck Pants will certainly prove plenty wearable come fall and winter with rugged Red Wing boots (among other treasured style picks). Do yourself a favor and invest in the best now.

The Tuesday Steal: Get Up to 50 Percent Off at the Western Rise Labor Day Sale

If it seems jarring to already be talking about one of the best Labor Day sales, well, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, just think of the Western Rise Labor Day Sale as a brief introduction to early fall, as it’s packed with gear you can start wearing right now — and then continue wearing in the months ahead.

Western Rise is one of my favorite outdoor adventure brands, but they’re really a brand that’s simply perfect for the modern man on the go. They specialize in rugged, durable yet stylish performance pants and T-shirts, including the Western Rise Evolution Pants (which I’ve reviewed in the past), not to mention the perfect performance shirt and much more.

These picks are often made with stretch fabric that repels water and stains while breathing easily, and those factors are key whether hitting the trail or hitting the road for a long day of travel. And as I said, the savings are paramount — head to the Western Rise Labor Day Sale to take a look right now at savings of as much as 50 percent off.

And what do I have my eye on in particular at one of the best men’s style sales of the moment? Well, you can start off your next travel or outdoors #OOTD with the Western Rise Evolution Chino, made from a lightweight, four-way stretch fabric that can do just about anything you’ve got in mind.

There’s also the durable Western Rise Spectrum Jogger, which boasts a more sporty design that’s no less travel-friendly. Of course, most of the rest of the Western Rise Men’s Collection is on stock at full price, so those are also some selections worth checking out. To close out summer the right way and roll into fall stylishly, the Western Rise Labor Day Sale is the place to go.