Tag / fall cardigans

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: The GQ for GAP Collection, Throne 2.0 and Levi’s Vintage Clothing

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.  

It seems as if it was just last Friday evening and I was standing in the crowd jamming out to Lucius in Central Park — yet, here we are with a brand-new edition of the Friday Read. The past weekend — and the last few days — have been a nice introduction to fall; if you don’t have a Fall Style Wish List made yet, I’d advise you do so now.  It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year, right?It’s a time for chukka boots, chambray shirts, thick cardigans — you name it, it’s nearly fair game. If I were you, I’d stick around for Monday’s post on … well, we won’t give it all away just yet. If fall travel is in the works, don’t forget that durable weekender bag. And like most weekends, I hope you’ve got your outfit for a football tailgate — seriously, it makes a difference. I’ll be cheering on my Michigan State Spartans as they take on Indiana, and I’ll be exploring the city with my good friend Ian Kullgren, himself a proud Spartan. It was nice to visit with Ian in  Washington, D.C. in May, and I expect just as great of a time checking out the city.  Everything from Central Park to favorite spots off the beaten path, like the excellent Berg’n in Brooklyn, are on the agenda. Oh, and about that football game — Go Green! Before we get to kickoff though, let’s start the weekend with the best in menswear — and keep your eye on the blog tomorrow for a special post with my friends at US Authentic; if you want to talk fall, one of the brand’s leather jackets is the way to go. (Hint: It’s part of the Style Pick of the Week series).

  • While we’re talking all things fall style, the good folks at Esquire picked out the week’s best style upgrades — you might recognize a certain shirt from a certain #OOTD published this week on the blog…
  • A standout watch is the perfect finishing touch when it comes to your ensemble, and us lucky watch aficionados might have just stumbled onto the perfect one. Throne Watches just launched the Throne 2.0, a super-clean yet classic chronograph assembled from Swiss movements. The overall look is stellar — crisp enough for dress situations, versatile enough for casual wear. Truly, you should get your hands on the Throne 2.0 soon (oh, and the sub-$600 price tag isn’t bad, either!)
  • If — like me — you’ve been eagerly perusing GAP’s site for news of the GQ for GAP Collection, you’re in for a treat! If you haven’t seen it already, that is. The new GQ for GAP Collection is live — snap it up quick. A few of those pieces, including that excellent Michael Bastian blazer, look mighty tempting.
  • Lastly in the world of new collection launches as we enter the stellar fall season, Levi’s Vintage Clothing — the premium, workwear-inspired offshoot of Levi’s — just launched a truly great seasonal offering. It’s focused in part on NYC’s hallowed 9th Street Exhibition, a downtown location that served as a backdrop through the 50s for tons of artistic expression — I’m no art history buff, but the resulting menswear is pretty neat, including some excellent 1954 501 Jeans. Good stuff!

Last but not least — one more piece of menswear for y’all:

  • Remember taking summer vacations out West, anyone? Maybe to a national park? Eddie Bauer evokes that sense of nostalgia nicely with its latest launch — a revamp of the brand’s iconic 1936 Skyliner Jacket, this time done up in reversible Pendleton wool patterns that pay tribute to the national parks. It’s a pretty neat feature, to say the least.  You can read more about it via my latest post on The Manual, and you can look for more details on the jacket in the coming weeks on my Instagram (wink, wink).

Enjoy the weekend, and follow along with all things menswear over on Twitter — ’til the Style Pick of the Week post,

-Beau

by Beau H.

Style Pick of the Week: JACHS NY Merino Wool Cardigan

Editor’s note: Expect these posts weekly detailing one standout item coveted by yours truly. Sometimes, these fit within budgetary restrictions and other times, they’re expensive splurges worth saving for. For more Wish List items from Beau, head here, and to see other Style Picks, head here.

The ideal type of sweater to get you through fall, with some on-trend elbow patches, to boot. Short-sleeve henley by Pistol Lake. Stainless steel dive watch by Invicta.

The ideal type of sweater to get you through fall, with some on-trend elbow patches, to boot. Short-sleeve henley by Pistol Lake. Stainless steel dive watch by Invicta.

Just as we talked about in this very space during last week’s Style Pick, fall weather is quickly approaching for a lot of us. And that brings up my favorite time of the year — when you really get the chance to start layering up. Before it gets excruciatingly cold though, there’s some transition time, calling for pieces that are breathable and comfortable, but just a bit warmer than that unconstructed blazer you might have worn throughout the summer and into September. For me, that means reaching for a nice, lighter-weight cardigan. There’s plenty of time for chunky knit shawl cardigans, but it’s always nice to be able to put on a  comfortable, well-made and feather-light (well, almost) option in the meantime. Thus, enter this week’s Style Pick of the Week. JACHS NY is a hyper-local brand that’s still grabbed the eyeballs of some prominent menswear Instagrammers (like my digital pal Everyday Drew), and they stock a nice product assortment at the brand’s well-curated flagship store. Case in point — one of the brand’s F15 arrivals, the Light Grey Merino Wool Cardigan. For the record, it is a bit much at $129 for what some might view as a simple sweater. But as with most Style Picks here, these are aspirational items worth considering. And this one’s got a rad touch — some old-school elbow patches. Read on to find out why that earns it major style points (and note that it also comes in a darker Charcoal color).

Ben Sherman US

And yes, it’s wool, and it might not be too cold for that yet, right? Wrong. Before you associate wool with some scratchy, heavy  monstrosity, know that this cardigan (which the brand sent me for a variety of fall features) is nothing like that. It’s soft, it’s got a relatively trim and modern fit — that’s key when avoiding the negative style association some people have with cardigans. The trim fit and soft fabric ensure that it wears more like a thermal henley or overshirt than a thick cardigan (you can check out more product details on GearHungry, in fact). The softer fabric has made it comfortable to wear on its own over a henley in a slight fall breeze. And now, onto perhaps the top styling point — those elbow patches! They’re a soft suede, and they’re a pretty neat stylistic feature (in my opinion) that harkens back to real rustic, outdoors-y style — even if you only work in a cubicle. They make the cardigan a little less dressy, yet this is still one sweater you can throw on with slim khaki chinos, a blue Oxford and brown wingtip boots for office wear. Conversely, it’s done just fine over a simple white T-shirt for relaxing around my apartment. It’s the type of cardigan made for fall & into winter with some proper outerwear thrown on over it — best of all, those elbow patches assuredly make it the type of sweater you can put on to go grab some coffee and crunch some leaves in the park, weekend after weekend.

Have you bought from JACHS NY? Are you on-board with cardigans, or elbow-patch cardigans, for that matter?