Best of 2019 and the Decade

[nicelynice]

Post some flippin' pictures

1. Best purchase

Wings and Horns sweatpants from 2010... I think? I think I bought them when I went to see the Olympics in Vancouver. My friend I went with was like, "you're spending $100 on sweatpants?" Well, I'm wearing them right as I type this!! Here they are last year, with some stupid hipster sashiko indigo patches I dyed with Synth and Spacepope

2. Best staple item

Resolute denim. Been wearing these almost daily for the past three years.

3. Best shoes/ jacket/ shirt/ pair of pants/ whatever

Love my Paul Harnden blazer

4. Best brand

Paul Harnden

5. Best up and coming brand

Teatora or Comoli

6. Best style-related realization

I'd rather wear Patagonia than CCP

7. Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake

I don't really have any regrets - I've been able to try a lot of fun clothes, and then flip them on Yahoo Auctions when my style changed. I think it's alright for someone's style to change

8. Best non-clothing related purchase

I went to Nepal twice, once in 2013 to hike to Everest Base Camp by myself and once in 2018 to hike Annapurna Circuit with my wife. I travel a fairly lot, but I absolutely loved Nepal - the people, the mountains, the inns along the hike. Just feels so far away from my life here, but nice and cozy.

 

[Biscotti]

1. Best purchase: Tough one. Either a Japanese-market Schott jacket or Redwing 2268/2269 engineer boots.

6. Best style-related realization: It has been forever since I've posted in SW&D. My style has changed a lot, but has held some constants since I started posting in here years ago. I've become much more of a minimalist; there are lots of styles and aesthetics that I love, but I no longer attempt. I own only one long-sleeve buttoned shirt, I no longer own suits (save for one H+M one if necessary to wear) and I never really layer garments anymore. Jeans, Hane's T-shirts and boots + high-end jackets/coats/accessories. I came to a point where I no longer wanted to spend much money on things such as sweaters, shirts, alterations, maintenance, suiting, ties, etc.; however, I have no real qualms dropping decent coin on a leather jacket or wool outerwear.

I also almost rarely buy clothing online unless I either own the same item or I'm damn-near 100% positive on the sizing and fit. I'd rather wait until I'm in a major city to make purchases.

8. Best non-clothing related purchase: Probably all the delicious food I've eaten out!

 

[John L]

1. Best purchase --

Alden Moc Toe Bluchers; they look geriatric until you put some miles into 'em.

2. Best staple item --

Random navy cable knit lambswool Brooks Brothers sweater picked up this year at full retail (what?). Bizarre amounts of mileage.

6. Best style-related realization --

I got a big ol' face so cutaway collars look very stupid on me.

7. Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake --

A couple of 18east shirts. I like the brand. My vibe is just very very *whiteguy* so it doesn't convert to my own style. I've moved over to just getting the occasional camp collar from 'em now.

8. Best non-clothing related purchase --

A multi-unit. I live on one-side and a tenant on the other. Pretty amazing.

 

[ghdvfddzgzdzg]

all answers decade-related

1. Best purchase
Raleigh Denim jeans I bought in maybe 2011 that I'm still wearing, now with patches on patches

2. Best staple item
Uniqlo white tees, approximately 50 of them

3. Best shoes/ jacket/ shirt/ pair of pants/ whatever
Monitaly short field jacket: something that i want to wear all the time, that integrates into almost all of my looks, that's easy to wear all day, and that takes wear well

6. Best style realization: Make things your own, whether that be from wear, repair, or customization

7. Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake
TOJ jacket that never arrived amid the shitshow

8. Best non-clothing related purchase
a house

but also, shoutout to the Epaulet noragi I wear all the time for cooking/yardwork/etc, a literal chore coat that has been serving me near daily for years now

 

[Gus]

All decade:
Best Purchase- Longhi leather jacket with sheepskin collar. Have worn it all over the world for 10 years
Best Staple items- White shirts, 1954 & 1947 cut jeans
Best item- Stan Smiths
Best Brand- Honestly don't have one
Style Realization- Just when you think you've got your style figured out means it's time to change and evolve
Worst Purchase- Feit shoes
Best non-clothing purchase- Fender Custom Shop Caballo Tono

 

[Rais]

For 2019
1. Best purchase
> A Lanvin nylon and calf leather work bag. It is big enough to hold my tank of a PC and my camera equipment but is still compact enough to look decent with my menswear. It replaced my Porter Tanker 3 in 1, which was a bit too utilitarian (and also a bit bling with the zippers) in comparison.
2. Best staple item
>My ROSEN-X Yama pants. They work well in the gym, commuting and with more fashionable casual outfits. Wear them 4 times a week easily.
3. Best shoes/ jacket/ shirt/ pair of pants/ whatever
>Shoes: Nike SFBs for their versatility.
Everything else I kind of interchange.
4. Best brand
>C.P. Company is having a decent revival under Massimo Osti's son and Tri-State. The stuff is expensive but feels substantial. I can't say that for a lot of high end designer brands these days.
5. Best up and coming brand
>I quite like Black Merle. The stuff is over priced but it feels somewhat interesting and fun to wear.
6. Best style-related realization
>Black jackets don't work as well on me as other colours.
7. Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake
>TNF Sneakers, can't remember the model. They just had a horrible silhouette that I didn't notice when I bought them online. Returned immediately.
8. Best non-clothing related purchase
>A RAYQUAL lens adaptor to use old Canon FD lens on my Sony camera. And a Tokina 90mm F2.5 manual lens. It has a lot of character and was very cheap compared to native E-mount lenses.

 

[justridiculous]

All decade:
Best Purchase- Longhi leather jacket with sheepskin collar. Have worn it all over the world for 10 years
Best Staple items- White shirts, 1954 & 1947 cut jeans
Best item- Stan Smiths
Best Brand- Honestly don't have one
Style Realization- Just when you think you've got your style figured out means it's time to change and evolve
Worst Purchase- Feit shoes
Best non-clothing purchase- Fender Custom Shop Caballo Tono

Can you share why you didn't like Feit shoes? Most people who purchase them seem to love them.

 

[LA Guy]

4. Best brand
>C.P. Company is having a decent revival under Massimo Osti's son and Tri-State. The stuff is expensive but feels substantial. I can't say that for a lot of high end designer brands these days.

Hmmm... I need to check their stuff out. Since Stone Island prices got stupid, while at the same time not really coming through on performance, I just assumed that CP company had gone the same way. I just looked at their website, and the prices, while not low, definitely don't look as insane as some of the Stone Island stuff, so I may need to take a second look. Thanks.

 

[Gus]

Can you share why you didn't like Feit shoes? Most people who purchase them seem to love them.

Sure, they look cool, but they turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever purchased. First, mine fell apart at the sole within one month and had to be replaced (so, I do give them points for good customer service). Even after two months of wear they never felt enjoyably comfortable even after trying multiple inner-sole options. If I wore them for a full day they were simply uncomfortable at all of the points of movement. Who wants that? The leather is very thick and even after trying multiple, different types of leather treatments they never softened up (although some of the newer models are using a soft, thinner leather). There are just way too many better options out there that combine both style and comfort.

 

[London]

Sure, they look cool, but they turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever purchased. First, mine fell apart at the sole within one month and had to be replaced (so, I do give them points for good customer service). Even after two months of wear they never felt enjoyably comfortable even after trying multiple inner-sole options. If I wore them for a full day they were simply uncomfortable at all of the points of movement. Who wants that? The leather is very thick and even after trying multiple, different types of leather treatments they never softened up (although some of the newer models are using a soft, thinner leather). There are just way too many better options out there that combine both style and comfort.

I have a suede pair of loafers the I got cheap at a sample sale. They're a lot more comfortable than the all leather ones.

 

[Gus]

I have a suede pair of loafers the I got cheap at a sample sale. They're a lot more comfortable than the all leather ones.

And, some of the newer models I've seen mix suede and a soft latex sole, which I would think, makes a significant difference. But, I'm moving on to other brands...

 

[printyra]

Starting this up again, but this time for both the year and decade.

What are some of your "bests?" This can be for 2019 and/ or the decade. Some ideas:

1. Best purchase
2. Best staple item
3. Best shoes/ jacket/ shirt/ pair of pants/ whatever
4. Best brand
5. Best up and coming brand
6. Best style-related realization
7. Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake
8. Best non-clothing related purchase

Addendum: Feel free to write your own categories, if you wish. Whatever you want to crow about. The above are just suggestions.

1. Kaptain Sunshine Traveler Coat - I love this thing
2. Le Laboreur moleskin chore coat in Hydrone blue - I wear this all the time, nearly all-year-round despite it being a heavy-duty moleskin fabric. It's extremely versatile.
3. vintage OG-107 pants cut off into shorts. These were practically my daily uniform for all of the summer.
4. Engineered Garments - nuff said
5. Kaptain Sunshine. I love this brand. I wish their lines were bigger and there were more stockists in the US.
6. it's more fun (and fashionable) to be a little eccentric in your style.
7. Blue Blue Japan shop coat - just not a fan of the shop coat length - too long to be a sport coat and too short to be an overcoat - the worst of both worlds.
8. a new car

 

[PeteyPajamapant]

Best purchase - Stephan Schneider Merino Coat. It's one of the only things that I've gotten consistent wear out of over the years. I always feel like a "cool dude" when wearing it.

Best staple item - Uniqlo U Tees

Best shoes/ jacket/ shirt/ pair of pants/ whatever - I guess Common Projects Achilles. Boring I know, but probably the one item that gets the most wear in my closet.

Best brand - Kaptain Sunshine, even though I don't own any of it?

Best style-related realization - That I spend way too much money on clothes and to cut it out. Realizing I mostly wear jeans and sweats, and everything else I buy goes mostly unworn.

Worst purchase/ most regretted mistake - Going on binges. Buying too much. Not wearing half of it.

Best non-clothing related purchase - The book Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast. Opened up a whole new world of bread baking. My digital piano has been pretty good too.

 

[aamukherjee]

Wow, quite pleasantly surprised by the amount of love for Kaptain Sunshine in this thread.

 

[Rais]

Hmmm... I need to check their stuff out. Since Stone Island prices got stupid, while at the same time not really coming through on performance, I just assumed that CP company had gone the same way. I just looked at their website, and the prices, while not low, definitely don't look as insane as some of the Stone Island stuff, so I may need to take a second look. Thanks.

The resin(?) coated garment-dyed stuff feels and looks great in person and has good weather resistance accordingly. I think it was an MBS jacket (red coat pictured at the front of the rack) that I liked the most when I visited their flagship store a month ago. Some of the design choices on half the items like adding a clear goggle lens to the upper arm sleeve akin to Stone Island's shoulder patch are absurd but there are still a lot of solid designs there. Almost all of their stuff goes on deep discount as well.