Tag / men’s lifestyle blog

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: Veterans Day, Sword and Plough and Glenfiddich Whisky

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.

Well. Hey, what a week, right? Onward and upward. On this Friday, it’s a good reason to reflect and bring us all togehter– Veterans Day should bring with it great appreciation for the men and women who’ve served, and continue to serve so bravely. And a bit of a focus on the lifestyle companies that help support those veterans never goes wrong, either. Is there anything better than buying stylish, quality menswear for a great cause? If you’ve got some plans to do that this weekend, I think you’ll like the content we have in store below. And if your weekend brings with it other plans, it still pays to keep in mind some crucial men’s style tips — like how to dress for fall travel, or how to buy your new favorite henley (all crucial, you see). And if it’s getting really chilly where you are? Layer up with a stylish flannel shirt or a slim cardigan. You can, of course, look for our weekly Style Pick tomorrow — and stay tuned, ‘cuz it’ll get you shopping via Huckberry quicker than you can move your mouse. For now, catch up on the week in menswear — and the weekend to come.

A duffle built with military-grade fabric and inspiration.

A duffle built with military-grade fabric and inspiration.

    • First up in our Veteran’s Day rundown? A company that keeps the sacrifices of our armed forces front and center in everything it does, from its use of repurposed military fabrics to its mission of supporting vets through all phases of production. Sword and Plough  is launching a new duffle bag inspired by co-founder Emily Nunez’s experience with her U.S. Army duffle. It’s built with that same durability in mind and available in either Camo or Olive — the Camo version is lined in surplus 500-denier nylon fabric, while the Olive version is lined in a surplus cotton/nylon twill (originally meant for older military uniforms, but unused).  Oh, and the leather accents even come from the brand’s Redwing, Minn., which itself is a major military supplier. Get it ASAP via Sword and Plough, and know that the brand’s weekender bags — one of which I took with me on a fall trip to Providence — are just as quality.

  • If you fancy yourself in the market for a smaller accessory that pays homage to military inspiration you can’t go wrong with a rugged, durable and stylish casual watch via AVI-8.  Makers of handsome timepieces, they’re offering 30 percent off the brand’s Flyboy Collection now through Monday, November 14th using the code ‘Flyboy‘  — of course, as to the watches themselves, you can’t go wrong with the Flyboy Tuck, inspired by Royal Air Force flying ace Robert Stanford Tuck. The Flyboy Mesh is also clean, crisp and stylish enough for both casual and more refined wear. What are you waiting for, yeah?
  • Now, it’s not quite Veteran’s Day-related, but your footwear closet might need a new addition. CLAE and Style Guide favorite JackThreads just teamed up on a stylish sneaker collaboration that’s in need of your time. The CLAE x JackThreads Bradley is a refined low-top black sneaker with a patent leather cap toe and heel — not your everyday set of kicks. And the CLAE x JackThreads Strayhorn Mid is a unique, affordable and super-stylish high-top chukka sneaker with a wool upper. Yes, you’ll want to wear this with a classic chambray shirt, your favorite cardigan and dark denim soon — very soon.

Want one last way to toast to the weekend?

  • Craft bee is a big passion of mine. Whisky? Not all the time. But whisky aged in craft beer barrels? Bingo. See, we’re not all menswear here at The Style Guide. If that’s the case for you as well, you’d be wise to keep your eyes open for the new Glenfiddich India Pale Ale Cask Finish, a single malt scotch whiskey finished in IPA craft beer barrels and released last month. It’s part of the Glennfiddich Expermental Series, and it’s certainly got the rich flavor and nuanced details to back it up. It’s now out in the public, too  — keep your eyes  open for it at luxury whiskey retail stores, along with premium bars and hotels across the U.S. Cheers!

That brings us to the end of this week’s Friday Read — again, stick around for tomorrow’s Style Pick of the Week, and stay stylish!

-Beau

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: Fourth of July 2016 Edition

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.  

We’ve reached another great summer long weekend — the Fourth of July! It’s about being thankful for our freedoms above all else, but it’s also a welcome vacation and a chance to get together with family and friends — hopefully in style. So, in true Style Guide fashion, today’s Friday Read is all about the holiday. It was a busy week in preparation for some much-needed time off — I even covered the best gear to wear for the holiday over at The Manual. Perhaps you had a busy week and are also looking forward to hitting the road, or at least enjoying some much-needed downtime. To mark a special occasion like the Fourth of July, it can be nice to kick back with a special cocktail — even if you’re a big craft beer fan, like myself. It’s a treat to enjoy a beverage that’s well-made and nuanced, like a lot of the finer things in life (especially #menswear). So it’s with that in mind that we’re giving you a holiday-centric drink option from the team at Johnnie-O — they sure do know how to make ’em, and if you caught my Masters 2016 cocktail post, you know that quite well. Check out the recipe below, plus a wearing suggestion from the brand, and read on for a few more Fourth of July weekend style tips.

The brand's 9OH2O Swim Shorts are a classic pairing alongside a tasty beverage.

The brand’s 9OH2O Swim Shorts are a classic pairing alongside a tasty beverage.

 The Red Hot American Summer Drink

The Ingredients:

  •  1.5 shots of rum — the folks at Johnnie-O prefer Ballast Point Three Sheets California Small Batch White Rum
  •  1 sliced lime
  • 1/4 ginger beer
  • Cayenne pepper
  •  1 sliced jalapeño
The Process:
  • Place 2 lime wedges in a sturdy glass, using a muddler to crush the lime.
  • Fill the glass almost to the top with ice.
  • Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with ginger beer.
  • Sprinkle cayenne to taste, and garnish with jalapeño.
  • Enjoy!

While it requires some ingredient-wrangling, the process of making and enjoying a great drink can be a lot like the pursuit of finding style essentials: Worth the wait. Right? Right. Now, if you’re looking for more menswear to complement your weekend, grab a pair of swim trunks from Johnnie-O, like the 90H20 Surf Shorts pictured above. But wait, there’s more! On the apparel front, the folks at lifestyle brand Kinfolk teamed up with La Paz on a 9-item capsule of light, airy and breezy continental style staples that could work this weekend and the rest of summer, including this excellent printed shirt and other pieces, among them some easygoing linen trousers (they’re a bit out of the ordinary, but if you find yourself hanging out near the water or on the coast this weekend, they could definitely work). Oh, and because we all love a few cold beverages while lounging in the warm weather, snag an item or two from the Herschel Supply x Coca-Cola collab — yes, you read that right. They’ve got an assortment of everyday carry essentials, from a tote to a backpack, all with insulated liners built in to keep drinks cool (and the fact that they’re made from recycled PET materials is another positive).

As to the rest of your Fourth of July style essentials, grabbing one of the best weekender bags out there is definitely in order, and some slim swim trunks or classic men’s sunglasses can’t go wrong, either. And if you need more warm-weather essentials or tips on how to style them, head over to my Instagram. Look out for tomorrow’s Style Pick of the Week, and a look at great dive watches coming on Monday.  Whatever you might do this weekend, enjoy the holiday, the time off and celebrating our great freedoms in style.

Enjoy the weekend, and stay stylish!

-Beau
Frank & Oak