The Friday Read: The State of #Menswear, Batman v. Superman and Spring Style

Editor’s note: Expect these posts once a week on Fridays — consider this a jumpstart on reading for your weekend downtime. Expect a mix of style and non-style content. For more entries, click here

As things stood going into last week’s Friday Read, I was quite hoping we’d have the chance to talk some Michigan State basketball here on the blog. But. Well. We’ll leave it at that. At any rate, it was still fun to host my great friend Stephen Brooks he covered Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament, and all that activity played into a big week itself. On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of catching up with the four brothers behind Brothers & Craft — Zac, Clay, Kirk and Matt –who happened to be in NYC for a whirlwind trip as they launched their next special project (check out their Instagram for more stylish things ahead!). They’re a great group of guys, generous with their time, fun to be around and a real pleasure to know. I was lucky enough to be able to hop down to the opening of the Daniel Wellington SoHo pop-up shop that very same night. And on that note, look for more details on Daniel Wellington’s new line tomorrow on the blog! As the week rolled along, it was even more thrilling (if that’s possible!) to attend the  prestigious WWD Menswear Summit on behalf of my day job at Coyne PR — it was an excellent look at the state of the industry itself, and covered everything from social media to retail trends to designer outlooks for the next few years. What a week — it really is extraordinary to get continually greater opportunities so frequently. It’s busy, to say the least — and given all of that, I need a bit of a nap this weekend. Maybe before you settle down, take a glimpse at the below #menswear reads. Enjoy!

  • Have you been following any other brackets out there besides March Madness? Namely, any style brackets? The one put together by the team at Get Kempt moved into the Style Sweet Sixteen this week.
  • Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill have been hitting the road to promote the upcoming release of the much-hyped Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice flick — but have they been doing it in style? GQ.com investigates.
  • The massive trade show that is Baselworld just wrapped up this week, and Esquire.com offers up its drool-worthy list of the top watches from Baselworld that you should get on your wrist … now.
  • While this is neither a long read nor a style note, Lollapalooza announced a truly epic run of artists to celebrate its 25th anniversary, from LCD Soundsystem headlining to Lana Del Rey, Kurt Vile and stellar folks like DREAMERS and Arkells billed further down.

Is your shopping cart empty? Fill it up with some buying suggestions.

    • Grab a stylish spring sweater to layer up with for those chilly nights, in case you missed our latest Online Shopping Picks piece.
    • Stock up on more spring style essentials via my latest post at GearMoose.com — this one was a ton of fun to write!


The Friday Read: March Madness, South by Southwest Music and Spring Camo

Editor’s note: Expect these posts once a week on Fridays — consider this a jumpstart on reading for your weekend downtime. Expect a mix of style and non-style content. For more entries, click here

Since we last spoke during the ole Friday Read, it’s certainly been quite the week. I had the great fortune to spend this past weekend in Florida visiting with my dad and as luck would have it, a few friends from Michigan State University. Add to that mix a busy work week, some building buzz surrounding the NCAA Tournament and oh yeah — St. Patrick’s Day yesterday (!!), and it’s been a heck of a week! I’m even more excited for this weekend though — I’m hosting my best friend from college, Stephen Brooks, as he covers Notre Dame men’s basketball in the NCAA tourney … in Brooklyn, just a few subway stops away (catch all the action over at his Twitter) . Isn’t it crazy how things work out sometimes? Hopefully, you’ve got an exciting weekend of college basketball — or just relaxation — ahead of you. If you’re catching all that college basketball action live, here’s what to wear for the NCAA Tournament.  And if you’re still recovering from St. Patrick’s Day? Godspeed, and hopefully, the below #menswear news makes things a bit more bearable.

  • This humble menswear writer figured the camo trend was waning a few years ago, but it’s still sticking around — GQ.com picks out three ways to wear camo this spring (fairly tastefully, that is).
  • I always enjoy reading what the folks at Well-Spent have to say, particularly in regards to the goods they’d buy this month…instead of covering rent.
  • The state of the New York menswear scene — much like the state of the menswear scene in general — is shifting, expanding and changing pretty rapidly at the moment. The trend forecasters at WGSN offer a pretty excellent analysis of the whole thing, thankfully (note that to get full access, you need to be a subscriber … sigh).
  • Long Read of the Week: If you’re lucky enough to have made it through most of this week at South By Southwest, there still might be a few top music acts you need to catch — Consequence of Sound picks the top 40 acts at SXSW.

Not fully ready to start the weekend? Fear not.

  • Spring jacket season has (thankfully) arrived — look for a full rundown on this site on Monday, and catch up on the Bridge & Burn Hayden Gray Jacket through my latest GearMoose post.
  • Throne Watches crafts sturdy, durable timepieces with an eye toward inspiring American cities as part of its 1.5 Collection — get the full scoop over at VOUCH Magazine.



The Friday Read: DETAILS, Bill Simmons and The National

Editor’s note: Expect these posts once a week on Fridays — consider this a jumpstart on reading for your weekend downtime. Expect a mix of style and non-style content. For more entries, click here.

To any new readers here: Welcome! And to you old regulars, welcome back. Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving already? The fact that it feels like it was just Labor Day (and the start of summer before that!), is pretty crazy! Next week, I’m looking forward to a relaxing trip to West Virginia to see family — where are you headed? And while we’re at it, what are you wearing for the holiday? It certainly won’t be long before Turkey Day — but prior to that, I’m actually hopping on a train this evening to Washington, D.C., where I’ll be re-connecting with some high school friends passing through the area. That adventure comes on the heels of a trip to Michigan last weekend, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what D.C. has on-tap (pun intended, wink wink). [P.S. Follow along with my style picks via Instagram and Twitter]. What are you most looking forward to this coming weekend? While you think on that, take a look at this edition of the Friday Read, which features a pretty monumental shake-up in the menswear editorial world.

  • The New York Times reports that men’s lifestyle magazine DETAILS (of which I suspect many of us know and read regularly) is being shut down by Conde Nast after its December issue; it should be noted that DETAILS.com will gradually fall under the umbrella of GQStyle.com, yet this is another sad day for the fashion publishing industry.
  • In happier news and in a welcome return to the stage, Bill Simmons sat down with President Obama for GQ’s Men of the Year Issue, and the interview is insightful and well-done.
  • This piece isn’t necessarily style-related, but it’s fascinating nonetheless — Vox revisits a series of ads released in the ’90s by AT&T that provided a pretty accurate picture of future technological advancements.
  • Long Read of the Week: In the most fascinating piece on a band I’ve read in a long time, Stereogum catches up with The National as the revered indie rock band transitions back into recording after time apart pursuing some incredible side projects. It’s a deep look at a band that’s one of my all-time favorites (it doesn’t hurt that they have significant Brooklyn roots near my old neighborhood, either).

Missed out on more menswear this week?

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