Tag / london

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: A London Jaunt & The Best Spring Menswear for Travel

Best waxed jackets for men this spring.

I don’t know about you, but reliability and rugged style is something I can’t quite get enough of when I build out my wardrobe of spring style essentials, let alone my wardrobe of the best travel gear. And travel has indeed been top of mind for this Brooklyn style writer as of late, to say the least, and that’s where versatile, tough-as-nails, dependable picks like my Flint and Tinder Ripstop Stretch Field Jacket (as shown above) have more than proven their worth.

Shop Flint and Tinder at Huckberry

Across the past week, I’ve found myself not in Brooklyn, but in multiple locales across Ireland and England as part of my many freelance writing pursuits, including covering the best spirits and the best spring menswear on the market.

Perhaps you’ve been following along with my travels on Instagram — those travels included time in Dublin, Tullamore and Galway, courtesy of famed Irish whiskey maker Tullamore DEW.

And those travels have also taken me down to London, all in the name of a brief stopover between yes, another spirits press trip. My London trip, of course, has proven more leisurely, and more focused on the best beers in London than Irish whiskey.

I also made time to visit a favorite London spot, Rough Trade Records, in addition to plenty of strolling across the city listening to The National, my very favorite band. What else can you ask for from a trip, right??

I’m far from done, though. From foggy London, I’ll trek to Germany and into the Black Forest with Monkey ’47 Gin, all on a quest to learn about the forthcoming release of this year’s edition of the Monkey ’47 Distiller’s Cut bottle. How’s that for an adventure where the journey is the destination?? For all these pursuits, I’ve certainly had to stay ready in terms of both form and function in my wardrobe.

And again, that’s why I’ve packed my favorite travel duffle bag with the best spring menswear from Huckberry (like that rugged men’s jacket shown above). After all, everything from wind to rain, breezy days and blazing sunsets — in Ireland, England, Germany and beyond — call for stylish, reliable men’s style essentials.

For your next spring getaway, look to pack up accordingly — naturally, that’s where this weekend’s duo of menswear posts (Saturday’s Style Pick and Sunday’s sale rundown) will assuredly help out in fine form. Check back tomorrow, layer up in style and thanks, as ever, for reading!

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: London, The Best New Boots & The Billy Reid Final Sale

My friends, good morning and welcome to another Friday Read here at your favorite menswear blog. We’re kicking things off in a slightly different fashion today, as my locale at the moment is a bit different from the ordinary. As we speak, I’m in the iconic city of London for a long-awaited trip to the very festival you see at the top of the page: That’d be All Points East, headlined by my favorite band… The National. Over the years, perhaps you’ve read my musings on the importance of travel, music and of course, traveling in style to see music, and it all comes together now on a fine, hot London summer day.

I was just in London — staying in the exceptionally cool neighborhood of Shoreditch — to celebrate 100 years of Dickies workwear (check out that link for a full story on the brand!), and I’m so thrilled to be back. Seeing as I bought these tickets last November, it’s been a long time coming.

You can follow along on my Instagram to keep up with all the fun, but in the meantime, just know that I’m very excited to see such a stunning band in such a cool city — and that’s an understatement. Also in the meantime: Let’s get back to menswear and get the rest of your weekend started in style, shall we? Sounds great to me. Cheers!

Best on-sale menswear.
  • Here’s something I think you’re going to like quite a bit to start your weekend. Billy Reid, one of the country’s finest menswear designers and a personal favorite of your Brooklyn style writer, is giving stylish folks like yourself the chance to save an extra 25 percent on Final Sale items, now through September 5th. Go to it and refresh your wardrobe with the best men’s style essentials in time for Labor Day weekend and beyond.
Best new fall menswear for guys.
  • We’ll keep the fall style must-haves rolling right here with my next recommendation. The team at Free Fly Apparel, makers of surprisingly stylish performance menswear that can take you anywhere, just launched the Free Fly Apparel Fall Collection, and it’s packed with durable canvas pants, easy-to-layer quarter-zip sweaters, lightweight hoodies and much more. Be sure to shop the best new fall menswear in time for your first fall getaway.
  • Now here’s a fun, aspirational way to close out today’s Friday Read. Over the past year and change, I’ve become a fan of fine Scotch (acquired taste though it might be!), and that’s why it’s so cool to see the jaw-dropping new whisky prototype from The Macallan and Bentley (yes, the automaker Bentley). Head to Maxim to read about some of the coolest whisky on the market.

Frontier 30 728x90

So, that trio of reading and shopping picks is going to round out today’s Friday Read. I’ve got some London pints to enjoy — I especially loved Camden Town Brewery during my June trip, along with the speakeasy Bermondsey Arts Club, and I’m hopeful to get back to both this next time around, too! Again, you can (and should!) follow along on my Instagram to keep up with my travels across the pond. Cheers and thanks for reading!

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: A London Trip With Dickies Workwear

My friends, if you can believe it or not, the headline above isn’t a typo or a mistake — I really am writing to you from the very hip confines of Shoreditch in London, one of the city’s trendiest neighborhoods (as seen above!), where I’m in the midst of yet another press trip! The brand in question for this lifetime trip? Ever-popular workwear and streetwear stalwarts Dickies, a huge brand Stateside in Texas and an even bigger brand abroad, thanks to its popularity among skateboarders and stylish youths — and of course, writers like myself! Dickies is celebrating 100 years, and invited myself and Gear Patrol Editor Evan Malachosky along for the ride.

Shop Dickies workwear now

On the docket so far this week? A celebration of a century of Dickies workwear, including a lovely dinner at the very on-brand The Bike Shed in Shoreditch, a preview of the brand’s upcoming Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 offerings, and a special documentary premiere at London’s Steel Yard nodding to 100 years of heritage and history. In the meantime, I’ve had the chance to explore London and Shoreditch on foot, enjoy a classic Full English Breakfast or two, and take in a couple pints at cool local spots like The Royal Oak. Needless to say, it’s already been a lifetime “work” trip for which I’m extremely grateful!

Learn more at Dickies

You can — and should! — keep up with the rest of the fun on my Instagram, because I’ve got a busy London weekend ahead, too (including a legendary concert — stay tuned!). For now, I’ve got some more coffee to down and some workwear to write about — expect a full dispatch for one of the many sites for which I write in the weeks ahead. Cheers, Godspeed and thanks for reading, as ever!

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: Men’s Swimsuits, GQ Suiting and Frank & Oak

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.

Although it’s always outstanding to be on vacation (particularly a trip to Greece), it can be just as nice to get back into the swing of work — and of course, the regularly scheduled Friday Read! Fighting off jet lag was a tall order after a particularly adventurous travel day back to the States, followed by a full week of work — but it’s almost in the books now, with what should be a lovely NYC weekend coming up. I’m excited to kick things off by heading to Blind Barber in the East Village this evening for a custom suit fitting courtesy of my friends at Combatant Gentleman — the brand’s chinos and blazers provide great style for the price, so a full suit (in addition to the one I brought on my Mediterranean trip) should be a great treat! I’m planning on checking out ABC Beer Co. nearby after, too. What’s on your plate? I’d suggest kicking things off with the lineup below, for starters.

  • The Men’s Style section of the New York Times runs through the new world of men’s swimwear — one that’s more tailored, less baggy and much better-looking — in this neat feature and infographic.
  • GQ’s editorial squad is on-point with a selection of small suiting tweaks that can elevate your A-game even further when dressing up in the coming months.
  • Frank & Oak, they of the affordable and highly covetable monthly menswear collections, serves up a very cool primer on how to see London in a weekend  — that city’s on The Style Guide’s list of spots to travel in 2016!
  • Long Read of the Week: So this one is more of a hybrid photo story than a true long read, but it’s pretty mind-blowing — Popular Mechanics covers the world’s 25 most impressive megaprojects, most of which are simply staggering in scale.

Florsheim
Got style on your mind?

Ernest Alexander