“Ryan, you feature casual clothes a lot and I was hoping to get your take on more formal office wear. For instance, I need a decent button down and would love something made in the USA that doesn’t make me look like a suit. Know what I mean?”

Man… I’m not your guy. I rarely dress formally and only when forced too… But, for button downs I don’t think you can beat a good Oxford just because they are so versatile. You can wear one with jeans and be fine on a date (the ones I go on anyhow) or throw it on with a suit and tie and get by at a wedding.

I think fashion guys are huge on collar shape, cut, etc… I’m not that guy, so have no idea if my choice meets those requirements… but my favorite is the selvedge Oxford that Todd Snyder sells.

Details here.

Interestingly, the site says this shirt is made in Portugal. Mine says “Made in the USA” on the tag. In any regard, wish I could be of more help…

Oliver Cabell is famous for making classic sneakers in Italy using responsibly sourced materials. And while this style isn’t my thing, I know a lot of folks are into it… And right now is rare moment – you can actually get a pair for under $300. These Nomads, for instance, are on sale for $188. Man…

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The raw denim world is a weird one. Folks are so dedicated to breaking their jeans in with perfect fades that they will substitute cleanliness with STANK – never washing their denim. Different strokes for different folks I guess…

Naked & Famous is one of the more well known brands amongst these people. And recently, they’ve released a new light weight (9.5oz) raw denim jean that at least feels broken in from day one. The fades should come quicker too – whether you decide to wash them or not.

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It’s cold as shit here today… So, I figured this was appropriate.

You know when you watch those Nat Geo shows and all those scientists are studying the life cycle of Polar Bears, how humans are screwing it all up, and it just looks cold as hell? Seems like they always wear gigantic boots, black pants, and a red a parka.

This is THAT parka… Apparently, it’s the warmest in the world and I sure could use one right now.

$1,500!!!!

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I’m a fairly frugal guy, so it comes as a surprise to most folks when I tell them I own a pair of $295 jeans. The thing is though, they are the only pair of jeans that I own… and I bought them in 2015. So, as it stands I’m into these jeans at around $35 a year and they easily have a couple of years left in them. When retirement finally comes, I’d bet I’ll be down to somewhere around $25 annually.

That’s the thing about Denim. If you buy into planned obsolescence, it’s one of the more expensive textiles on the market. Take your typical Levi 501 as an example and you’re out somewhere around $50 a year if you aren’t too rough on them. Move up to a special edition Levi or a Lucky Brand, or whatever… and they can easily cost you over $100 a year.

To me, the key with denim is to spend more up front on a quality Japanese sourced fabric that is cut and sewn by someone that really knows what they are doing. Easy suggestions would be jeans from people like Naked & Famous, Iron Heart, SugarCane, etc… But, I think I’ve stumbled onto something even better.

Ciano Farmer Denim Co. is a tiny shop in Denton, TX that makes jeans and other denim products using the same tools and techniques that Americans used in the 1800s. They cut and sew one pair of jeans at a time to your measurements using the exact materials you want. Prices start at around $200 per pair and go up from there.

Sounds like a luxury product, right? If you are like me and work in a shop environment quite a bit, this is absolutely a frugal buy. But don’t trust me, do your own math…

Details here.

The thing about travel tees is that they are often super thin and stretchy… So if you are chubby, you look more so… and if you are athletic, you look as though you are trying to flex. I prefer my t-shirts to be thick, boxy, and soft enough to be comfortable, but not so soft as to look modern. Does that make sense?

In any case, the 72-hour Merino is about the best travel garment that I’ve found. It’s merino, so you get all the good shit that comes with that. But also, it’s just cut right and you don’t look as though you are wearing travel clothing.

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Smoking deal on my favorite denim Sherpa jacket… Taylor Stitch creates “buy it for life” clothing and usually you gotta pay for it. Not this time.

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I maintain that the best sweatshirt in the world is made by American Giant. However, it’s not the most comfortable. The most comfortable sweatshirt that I have been able to find is actually a collaboration between Todd Snyder and Champion. These sweats are made of French Terry in the US and they have a price tag to prove it, but if you wear a sweatshirt every day in the winter, these are 100% worth the mass exodus of cash from your account. Seriously.

Details here.