manshion.

I needed some new shades for summer and per the law of expensive...

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:42:57 -0400

I needed some new shades for summer and per the law of expensive sunglasses* I wanted to spend as little as possible. After suffering a devastating blow with the loss** of my second pair of Shuron’s, I needed stylish but cheap replacements. A quick Etsy*** search for “deadstock sunglasses” served up a lot of great options. The best deals in my opinion were the above pictured offerings from shop, American Deadstock. The price, $16, is Urban Outfitters, but the quality is Ray Ban. I literally have nothing else to say, stop reading and go buy some they’re good, happy Thursday, bye.

*”If they’re expensive, consider them lost or destroyed at a rate inversely proportional to their cost.” e.g. $400 sunglasses are lost/destroyed within a year, while $40 sunglasses last 10 years.

**It was the cleaning people in my office. I know they took them. Are you reading this Lucy? I fucking know it was you, Lucy.

***Etsy, the world’s largest online assortment of poorly knit goods, iPhone cases, found-item jewelry, and dead person clothing for cats, women, and people.

For The Discerning Few recently posted an interview with founder...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:59:43 -0400

For The Discerning Few recently posted an interview with founder and designer of the iconic J. Keydge slack jacket, François Ferdinand. It’s a good read for anyone interested in the trajectory of a niche market product like J.Keydge over the past few decades. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on one since a piece about them on IvyStyle some years ago. Unfortunately, they’re a bit hard to come by stateside. For now, I’ll continue to recite the bloggers’ prayer and hope for my size to appear on eBay.

That good horween leather. The homie Shawn...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:37:58 -0400

That good horween leather. The homie Shawn from form•function•form hooked it up with a custom fob for ye’ olde Mansh’. Love this thing (the one with the keys on it). Clip it to my belt loop and hang it in the back pocket. I hope this becomes a standard model soon…

Check out the shop for more bench-made leather goods. Highly recommend.

breathnaigh: Paul helping dispel the myth that DC has no...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:23:59 -0400

breathnaigh:

Paul helping dispel the myth that DC has no style

mypantalones:

That dude on the left looks like a pretty #niceguy.

Paul in Indochino, shot by Kate Warren.

Kind words, guys! Yep, here’s me sporting some Indochino shot by Kate Warren. Check out more here.

Ikiré Jones, a collection from blogger, friend, and a real-life...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:37:24 -0400

Ikiré Jones, a collection from blogger, friend, and a real-life (like, offline!) Esquire’s “Best Dressed Real [see!] Man in America” finalist, Wale Oyejide launched yesterday. The inaugural collection consists of fine sportcoats and pocket squares, aka the foundation of your burgeoning ballertastic wardrobe. Everything is made here in the US of A (Brooklyn, to be exact) with great attention to detail. The trim on the jackets (prominent in the photos of Wale himself modeling his wares) is really something to behold in person. The West African inspired print underlying Ikiré Jones jacket lapels, a risky detail to incorporate in a line of high-end, business-ready sportscoats, is executed with a pitch perfect balance of flair and sophistication.

After catching up with Wale at a recent #menswear meetup in Philly, I can tell you the construction, fabrics, and fit of these jackets are the real deal. You’re not buying an off-the-rack, marked-up gimmick here. No—Ikiré Jones jackets are made to order, entirely by hand, by expert tailors seasoned in bespoke suiting. The pocket squares, also channeling West African designs, feature hand-rolled edges, a true sign of quality. While these handkerchiefs add personality to your breast pocket like any traditional paisley or floral design, rather than pump out the same European influenced fare, Ikiré Jones put their own spin on things to come up with something truly unlike anything else on the market.

Do yourself a favor and stop by the online store today. Just browsing the site alone is a free lesson in branding and creating an immersive online retail experience. Lastly, I’d just like to wish the best to Wale in this new venture. I thank him personally for inspiring me to reevaluate the trade-off of quelling my creative aspirations daily for a reliable paycheck as a stagnant desk-jockey. I invite you to evaluate the same for yourself.

Read Wall FW13 - I like how the looks have grown up so much in...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:51:00 -0500

Read Wall FW13 - I like how the looks have grown up so much in just a year. I will definitely be keeping an eye on them as their aesthetic seems to be aligning with my own. It was a pleasure meeting Read himself at Capsule back in January ‘12. At the time, Read’s Clothing Project had laid the foundation with great fabrics and made in US shirts and ties. Just months later, the full Read Wall line was on the scene with a cohesive collection that was equal parts youthful and well-crafted. I’m very impressed with the exponential progress made by this DC native’s brand and really look forward to getting hands on with the new product.

DC Friends, Indochino’s Traveling Tailor program is...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:37:00 -0500

DC Friends,

Indochino’s Traveling Tailor program is setting up shop in DC this Saturday. I definitely recommend you drop by 918 F St NW (Living Social’s event space) to check it out for yourself. As you may know, Indochino is the leader in the online made-to-measure suiting game, providing what I consider the best bang for your buck in terms of fit, quality, customization, customer service, and turnaround time. One of the big hurdles to entering the online tailoring race is the issue of your first fitting. Though Indochino does a great job of guiding you through the measurement process, there’s a good possibility that some level of alteration will be required in your first order. Never fear—they’ve got your back with a $75 credit towards any local tailoring performed on your new suit. The beauty of the Traveling Tailor program is that the self-measurement process is removed, resulting in a better initial fit and eliminating a major point of hesitation for first-time customers.

Okay—that’s all. I like their work, I wear their product regularly, and I will be popping in quite a few times next week, so hopefully I’ll see you there.

PS. Click-through on the image to book an appointment. Although walk-ins are definitely welcome, booking an appointment will get you a free shirt with your first suit.

things

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:31:00 -0500

i used to do link drops, maybe i’ll pick that back up again. this guy does amazing...

Lazy Blogger Update

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:35:00 -0500

Hey guys, I don’t think I’ve done an “about me” post in years. My...

This came out really awesome. 8 Vintage Holiday ‘12 video...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:59:00 -0500

This came out really awesome. 8 Vintage Holiday ‘12 video lookbook ftw. Classic menswear styling by yours truly, to make sure the women’s looks took center stage.

Big thank you to Denisio and 8 Vintage for letting me tag along...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:21:00 -0500

Big thank you to Denisio and 8 Vintage for letting me tag along to make sure the menfolk were up to snuff standing alongside some lovely ladies in beautiful vintage reconstructed designs.

Shout out to Ian Conyers and Emmanuel Egolum for modeling.

lizzy-bet:

Sneak Peek: 8 Vintage Holiday Lookbook

Some stills from the 8 Vintage video lookbook which will drop Monday! Most of these items will be available in the shop Monday as well!

Menswear looks curated by Paul Beirne

decoding #menswear: a handy guide

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:52:00 -0500

decoding #menswear: a handy guide: crispy [kris-pee] adj. Similar in nature to “fresh” or “clean.” A...

Is there anything lazier than making a blog post that’s just a round-up of your...

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:08:55 -0400

Is there anything lazier than making a blog post that’s just a round-up of your...

Ratio Clothing Shirt Review

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:49:00 -0400

It is with great pleasure that I write this review of Ratio Clothing’s offerings. As a...

I visited HMX Group’s Streets of Georgetown last week for...

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:36:00 -0400

I visited HMX Group’s Streets of Georgetown last week for a private tour of the store and thorough review of the made to measure program. Fellow bloggers, DC menswear folks, and I were offered cocktails and a rundown of the product line including details on HMX’s wide offerings from lines such as Hickey Freeman, Hart Schaffner Marx, Coppley, and Bobby Jones. I was very impressed to find that the staggering majority of the products offered from their lines are all still produced in the US, with Hickey Freeman and HSM exclusively producing domestically.

My lovely friend, SLSterling, snapped some shots during the event:

Off The Cuff and Archibald McNeil

Grant. Details.

Streets of Georgetown’s Made-to-Measure operations.

Trying on a great off-the-rack fit from Hart Schaffner Marx’s Modern Collection.

Made in the US since 1887.

Cillian, manager of Streets, takes the go-to-hell approach to his suiting.

No, seriously, Cillian implores you to go immediately to hell. #shamrocks

If anything, I definitely want to thank Grant Harris for inviting me to this event. It was a great way to get to know the product line, future expansion plans for Streets stores and their product offerings, as well as getting to know the range of fits available to suit both father and son in quality, made in the US menswear. If you’re in the Washington, DC area and are interested in a similar experience, please don’t hesitate to contact Grant as future events will host presenters from familiar made in USA brands and other menswear industry insiders.

Please check Chris Hogan’s ‘Off the Cuff’ for more coverage of this event.

summer sneakers - from the inbox

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:40:00 -0400

I usually don’t put questions on the main blog, but this was a solid one. Anonymous...

Haven’t done one of these in a while, but here’s the...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:35:00 -0400

Haven’t done one of these in a while, but here’s the deliberately ridiculous ‘fit I put together for DC’s 2012 Seersucker Social. Because getting all dandified up in a costume-like fashion hits on an edge of menswear I don’t particularly subscribe to, I was a bit reluctant to participate. Then, I was promised drink tickets and the rest is history, now documented in my brand of confusing, borderline bothersome *makes obnoxious air quotes* “comedy” over at Four-Pins.

Latest Four-Pins post, ‘Occasionally Dressed: The Seersucker Social’

Big thank you to my buddy Eliot Payne for hooking up the bow-tie. It’s so over the top that I like to describe it as “just crazy enough to work.” Check out Eliot’s shop, Accoutre.me for other head-turning designs.

All in all, the look was off the wall, but I was strangely comfortable with the overall results:

behind the behind the scenes of David Hart NYC fw12

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:16:00 -0400

Justin Bridges ran the real-deal official shoot. Liam Goslett ran the official...

bloggers and food trucks

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:59:00 -0400

Featuring @slsterling @imagegranted @alexdelany @eliotpayne @marylandmick James. Grant in the...

As a #menswear blogger, there’s nothing better than buying...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:12:00 -0400

As a #menswear blogger, there’s nothing better than buying from friends. Well, actually, buying from friends who provide great product at a great price. Also, friends that keep an ear to the street (e.g. producing product at the sweet spot of cool vs. classic).

Ties and pocket squares from The Knottery.

Getchoosome.

Perfect summer-weight cutaway collared shirting from the goodfellas at Hugh & Crye. If you missed their sample sale last week, that’s tough luck. On the bright side though, their patterned cutaways are a great deal at regular price anyway.

Get some here.