Timo Andres is a composer and pianist. He records for the renowned Nonesuch label and is performing at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall next year. These are all good things! That he’s funny and well-liked are also good things. So is his new record, called Work Songs. Thanks for coming on the Watch List, Timo, and elevating our classical knowledge. Let’s bid, kids!
Read MoreDo your trousers have a good break? Are you even familiar with that somewhat quaint phrase? It’s a matter that some people, particularly designers, menswear obsessives and general opinioneers, have strong, and I mean, strong views about. I wrote a piece for Bloomberg this week about the proper length of a man’s trouser and the quotes were scorching hot.
Read MoreEvery angler has a destination that takes hold of his imagination and for me that’s Patagonia. Montana is first in my heart, but more attainable (I’m driving there in a few weeks!). Patagonia is a different level of commitment, a trip to another hemisphere, a pilgrimage to some of the greatest landscapes on earth. I wrote about a trip I took there for the new issue of Robb Report.
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe now, but a DVD library was once a source of pride. They were lovingly arranged on shelves by director and genre, with perhaps a row of the Criterion Collection (still not sure how RoboCop made it into that rarefied club). I remember feverishly comparing prices for Yojimbo the day it came out. It goes without saying that the DVD is now entirely anachronistic.
Read MoreChris Benz, head of women’s design at J. Crew, has been on the upward trajectory since he moved to New York from Bainbridge Island. He attended Parsons, interned at Marc Jacobs, was the creative director at Bill Blass, and now has the big job. I respond to his combination of self-expression and classicism, and am looking forward to his first J. Crew collection, which is Spring 2020. That he’s very involved in the renovation of his home in Bellport is appealing. That he is raising chickens is divine. Thanks for coming on the Watch List, Chris. Let’s bid, kids!
Read MoreIt took me a while to feel comfortable in Belgium. And by Belgium I mean their famous export, the Belgian Shoe. And by famous, I mean a small group of obsessive men. And by obsessive I mean, nearly insane. Glenn O’Brien wore them and insisted they were fierce not foppish. His friend, the artist Duncan Hannah, still wears them and looks terrific. So does designer Aaron Levine. These men provided my Belgian initiation.
Read MoreAdmitting you have too many ties is surprisingly difficult. There’s something to be said for finding the exact right tie when you need it, and as long as that dream exists then the ties will remain. There’s often a story behind a tie, it might be inherited or acquired in some remote country, you might have won it in a game of poker. But there’s also something unsettling about wondering why you’re bidding on a fifth Barbour jacket (even if would be perfect for salmon fishing).
Read MoreTo read Naomi Fry’s work is to love her. Her byline means self-effacing comedy, pop culture insight, and a deep and curious knowledge of D-list celebrities. Her Twitter following is fervent, as are her readers at The New Yorker, where she’s a beloved contributor. Now she’s a regular guest on menswear podcasts, where she arrives like a conquering hero.
Read MoreSome good recent stories from around the internet including the day the music burned, the late great Dave Berman, bamboo fishing rods and the world’s most dangerous ski race.
Read MoreAleks Cvetkovic can wear a pajama shirt under a double-breasted jacket with such easygoing authority that you feel like you have a fatal lack of imagination. His sartorial expertise is shared widely, whether it’s his podcast HandCut Radio, or his writing which has appeared in Robb Report, and the Telegraph, among other places. He’s also a consultant to a handful of tailors, shirt-makers and shoe-makers. Got all that? Let’s bid!
Read MoreAugust is the perfect time for an Éric Rohmer film. They unfold in relaxed settings—lakeside resorts, borrowed, barely furnished country houses, beach towns. The characters are at leisure and, since they’re French, they tend to discuss their theories of love and morality.
Read MoreIn many ways Brooks Brothers is America’s first clothing company. Founded in 1818, they’ve made everything from Civil War uniforms to camel hair overcoats. The word “icon” has been exhausted but the Brooks polo oxford cloth shirt is an icon in every sense of the word. It still sets the standard for low-key elegance from Midtown to Milan, and the Oxford Sport shirt remains the ideal.
Read MoreI’ve been obsessed with bonefish since I caught my first one about five years ago. Nothing prepared me for how much I would love the flats in the Bahamas. They’re so vast and wild, with just the horizon in every direction, interrupted by the occasional mangrove. It feels like you’re at the end of the world.
Read MoreOh hello there, it’s your friends at The Contender. Please write contact@thecontender.co with questions, story suggestions, thoughts or typos. If you’re interested in fly fishing trips (details in the TRIPS section) then you can also contact that address for more information. If you wrote earlier, I’m afraid your email is ricocheting around the internet. Sorry about that, but it’s smooth sailing now. But be in touch. Salut!
Read MoreRecently, the Coggins apartment was featured on Cup of Jo, with photographs taken by the most excellent Stephen Johnson. It was great to be with a real interior photographer. Stephen is a true advocate of directional light. You might not guess it, but we covered all the windows but one with garbage bags so there was only one light source. Before the photo shoot I was not expecting to be standing on my window sills taping them up. Anything for a shot!
Read MoreWe know and love Chris Black because he invented Twitter. Well he didn’t invent it but, he refined it to an art form. As @donetodeath he offers sharp commentary on the highs and lows of pop culture, style, design and a lot of celebrity insanity I know nothing about. Now he has a terrific column at The Strategist.
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