Tag / chvrches

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: Dublin, Teeling Distillery & Arkells

Exploring Dublin Castle wearing the Orvis Heritage Field Coat and Tech Chambray Shirt, plus a classic Shinola Runwell Watch and new frames from Aspire Eyewear.

There are certain trips that leave an impact on you for days, weeks, months & yes, years to come. I’ve had the great fortune to take quite a few, and I know my trip this past weekend to Dublin is one of those such trips. It was certainly quick, but I had just enough time to get a feel for this historic city, complete with plenty of thankful reflection (and lots of on-foot exploration wearing my Orvis Heritage Field Coat!)

Highlights included the Teeling Distillery (go to the upstairs Bang Bang Bar, get the “New” Fashioned, thank me later), stellar menswear at Indigo & Cloth (packed with contemporary menswear brands like Norse Projects and Our Legacy) and the cozy, authentic confines of Bowes Lounge (get a pint of Guinness and take in the crowd). Fancy a bit of record shopping? Duck into the Sound Cellar — it’s next to a Subway shop & across from Trinity College, but that’s all the better!

Among the hustle and bustle of the city, I had two stellar Irish Breakfast platters (Canal Bank Cafe, near my quarters in Ranelagh, makes a great one!), I drank my weight in Guinness at the iconic Guinness Storehouse, and I had the chance to see one of my favorite bands, Scottish synth pop heroes CHVRCHES, play a powerful Friday night show at the iconic Olympia Theatre. If ever you get to Dublin, I can’t recommend sampling a little bit of everything this wonderful city has to offer — it’s a city and an experience I’ll always remember fondly.

As it were, I’ve got another quick weekend trip in the mix — similar to my quick jaunt to Vancouver to see Canadian rock stars Arkells, I’ll also be hitting the road to see them tomorrow! The trip is a much quicker one — a mere train ride to Philadelphia to see this powerful band play Underground Arts! My last time seeing this remarkable band (at the massive, sold-out Pacific Coliseum) was impressive, powerful & life-affirming, so I expect a similar showing this time, but in a much smaller setting! Start your own weekend with this week’s edition of The Friday Read, then coming back around tomorrow for our Style Pick of the Week. Thanks for reading!

  • I always talk about the little details making a difference in terms of the way you get dressed every single day — it’s with that in mind that I rounded up several of my favorite everyday carry essentials for The Manual, from a refined leather watch to a durable phone case.
  • The work being done by the team at Buck Mason is really never not Buck Mason Bruiser Bomber JacketGearMoose worth a look — case in point being the remarkable , one of my favorite leather jackets of the moment. It just so happens to be the subject of one of my latest features, too!
  • Let’s turn back to GearMoose for a menswear feature I had some serious fun writing — the Todd Snyder x Timex partnership always yields some fruitful, stylish results. On that note, it’s been enjoyable to test out the refined, slim Todd Snyder x Timex Mid-Century Watch, a sleek timepiece that calls to mind old-school watches. Again, head to GearMoose to check it out.

As we again transition slowly but surely into spring, I have one more menswear recommendation for you today — namely, check out this rugged workwear jacket from Flint and Tinder to take on all your weekend adventures. That’s all from me for today!

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: CHVRCHES, Timbuk2 and the East Dane Event of the Season

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.

If the headline at the top of the page wasn’t a dead giveaway, we’ve arrived at Friday once again. How was your week? If it included any menswear shopping — but didn’t include a pass through the East Dane Event of the Season sale — I’d urge you to double-back, ASAP. And if it did include #menswear shopping, that begs the question — are you all set with your Fall Style Wish List? It really is finally starting to feel like everyone’s favorite menswear season around here, and that transition dovetailed nicely with a busy four-day week of seasonal preparations for yours truly. A lovely weekend with my family in NYC led into a Monday spent working on content for this here blog and Effortless Gent, along with the requisite Brooklyn explorations — you can check out the results of that work starting with tomorrow’s Style Pick entry, for one!

And now that the weekend’s nearly here, I get the chance to pursue two of my passions at once. Combining live music and menswear is, as you know from reading The Style Guide, maybe my favorite thing to do — there’s nothing better than checking out live music in NYC and elsewhere, and dressing for a rock concert can be pretty fun, to boot. In this case, it’ll be particularly exciting to see the incomparable CHVRCHES headline Radio City Music Hall on Saturday night! And in fitting fashion, I’m going to be jamming out in some great gear courtesy of Forever21 Men. You can follow along for the whole ride on Instagram  or via Twitter, and know that we’re coming right back at you with another set of (brand-new!) seasonal shopping picks on Monday. Oh, and before I forget — your recap of the week in menswear is below. Carry on.

  • If you need a functional, stylish bag that brings with it a dash of color and intrigue, consider yourself set. The made-in-America gear purveyors at Timbuk2 just opened a new NYC store in NoHo (325 Lafayette Street), and they’re set to open one in Brooklyn (214 Berry Street, to be exact) next month. On top of that, the brand is partnering with artist and native New Yorker Dave Ortiz on a limited-edition messenger bag. The bag features neat zig-zag piping on the exterior and an Ortiz-designed silk screen print interior based on Ortiz’s famed “The Indian” print. Oh, and you know what’s even cooler? The first 100 people at the NoHo store — between 11 a.m. and 7p.m. — on Saturday (that’s tomorrow!) get the chance to trade in any used bag for a brand-new Timbuk2 x Ortiz bag. Keep in mind, though — only the first 100. Get to it! Not bad, ehh?
  • We’ve got another dose of made-in-America menswear comin’ at ya –inspired by workwear and classic heritage, NYC-based Bridge & Boro just launched a Kickstarter celebrating all that American manufacturing has to offer. More specifically, we’re talking the chance to pre-order what looks to be unique, high-quality selvedge denim, made right in America. They’re also offering a small run of plaid shirts for pre-order as part of their initial men’s collection –what say you? Will you be funding this effort?
  • And last but not least, Halloween is on the way. The ever-stylish team at Esquire gets you up to speed on the
    coolest Halloween costumes for stylish guys this season — handy, right?

We’re not done with the week in menswear yet …

  • From a denim overshirt — as featured in this week’s #OOTD — to a heck of a black moto jacket from the team at Taylor Stitch, I rounded up the best jackets for fall over at The Manual. Read now, buy now — am I right, or am I right?
  • Oh, and one last reminder to check out this site’s recap of the best sale picks at East Dane this week — seriously, get on it while you can, as that sale ends at midnight EST on Sunday.

Set your alarm early tomorrow morning — a new seasonal menswear pick o’ the week is coming at you. Until then — stay stylish!

-Beau