On a recent trip to New York, a close friend asked me to take him around to some of my favorite menswear shops. He works in the world of design, and needs to be smartly appointed but not over the top; his is a workday that begs for smart casual, when wearing a suit is too much, and a t-shirt and jeans isn’t quite enough - a ping ponging from factory floor to board room and back again.
I assured him this was my wheelhouse.
There is a corner of the internet devoted to men’s tailoring, with tips on where to find the best dress shirts, buying your first custom suit, the best tailors on Savile Row, and where to find the best loafers. Guys like David Coggins and Matt Hranek have cornered the market on these topics. For me, I find a lot of this clothing beautiful and aspirational, but not realistic for my daily life. I own a double breasted suit, but it isn’t what I’m throwing on for a run to the grocery or a walk in the park.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are outlets covering streetwear and progressive new designers or trends: Sprezza, Blackbird Spyplane and Hypebeast have that segment covered.
Granted, there are a number of black tie or dressy affairs dotted throughout the social calendar of many a Charlestonian, but day-to-day life really requires something a bit easier and breezier than tailored suits and traditional clothing. With our temps in the 90’s, who the hell would dream about wearing a suit? The more trendy approach is perhaps not of interest to the gentleman who wants to look sharp but not take too many outlandish sartorial risks. I want my clothes to have the added utility of timelessness, as well. I won’t make the investment if the clothes will be dated or appear ridiculous in a few years time.
For this type of dresser, there are some truly fantastic options of stylish and smart clothing brands. Below I share my personal favorites:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to A Small and Simple Thing to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.