Fedora Fever

This happens every October, usually around Halloween; the crisp fall days begin to give way to that winter chill. Every now and again it feels more like wintertime then it does autumn. As New Yorkers we have two options, dress your best and work with the bipolar aspect of the weather or be caught somewhere in-between often being to hot when it is cold or to cold when it is hot. I found that often times what you wear on your head could be the deciding factor of comfort in this ever-changing climate. I was never much of a hats guy until I came to New York City, aside from the comfort aspect, they allow you to take what your wearing to a whole different level. Lately I have been wearing a variety of different types of fedoras, from variations on color and style to different brands and makers. The Fedora was originally a woman’s fashion item in the mid 1800s but as men’s fashion began to develop the hat was seen predominantly on men in the early 1900’s it was worn as a staple item of the middle class. The hat represents an adaptation of the Homburg hat which was made popular at the same time as the Fedora.

The reason there is such popularity behind this headpiece is its deep roots with American pop culture. It is often associated with major American gangsters of the early 1900s as well as law enforcement officials during the prohibition era. The hat was also dawned by Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry during his tenure with the football team. The hat was used to complete his signature look; he is often portrayed with it on in the number of monuments and memorials commemorating what he did as a coach. What separates the Fedora from other major hats and headpieces sported by American gentleman is its connection with history, by wearing the hat you not only wearing an accessory, you are wearing a part of our counties past.

By taking to the streets, you can see how popular the Fedora is. From elders to children to the rich and the poor, individuals who wear this hat aim to achieve the cool trendy feeling it gives off. The fedora is not the only turn of the century headpiece that is currently gaining popularity, the Homburg hat as well as the Porkpie hat have been sported by celebrities and style experts in recent time. The men’s style blog Street Etiquette recently did an entry on the Porkpie hat, exclaiming to its audience what it achieve as a staple fashion item. Before the winter months and first snow hit, you have to take necessary measures to keep you head warm. Picking up a fedora or two might be the perfect solution to being comfortable and stylish all at once.

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Tis' Boot Season

The leaves are changing, and that perfect smell is back in the air. It is finally time to dust off your pea coat and gloves and come to the reality that winter is right around the corner. As a life long New Yorker of come to accept that winter can be as beautiful as it is disgusting. Sure a snowy winter wonderland always brings me back to my youth, but the brown slush and icy puddles that can be found at every street corner isn’t something I like to romanticize. It is that slush and disgustingness that brings me to my next point—if your going to survive as a New Yorker a good pair no—a great pair, of boots is essential. You don’t want to be that guy that walks into a party looking like he just lost a battle of epic proportions with brown slush. With that said finding the perfect balance of practicality and style in a pair of boots is a delicate thing. Yes you want a pair of boots that will keep you warm and dry, but you also don’t want something that are how do I say this? Ugly.

I recently was faced with this problem my self, I sensed that boot season was coming faster then usual and had to get a pair before it was too late. After doing weeks (alright more like hours) of research I found the only two pairs of boots that offered comfort and practicality as well as style. The two winners are LL Beans legendary Bean Boots and Ralph Laurens Ranger boots. Both these styles are truly the only boots on the market that combine every element you would want.

The Ralph Lauren Boots are classy, vintage genuine leather combined with thinsulate and sheep’s fur to allow you feet to stay as warm as possible. It’s the combination of the classic Ralph Lauren style with extremely warm materials that make these boots a winner.

Of course it would be impractical to have two pairs of winter boots, so like many other men. I had to make a choice, what pair of boots did I want to christen my feet for this winter and many others to come. The answer was obvious; I had to go LL Bean Boots. . The first thing is there completely water proof which is amazing, there extremely stylish and they have a life time warranty not to mention there made in the USA which is an added bonus. Wearing these beauties around not only makes me feel fresh, but I am also guaranteed to stay dry, well my feet are at least.

Snap it Back

Close your eyes for a second and pretend your in the 1990s now think back to every iconic sports moment, Jordan in his prime, Bret Favre, John Elway the greats as we know it. Now think about there style—their swag if you will. After every magical moment they produced they were crowned with a snap back hat, one with their teams logo and bright colors representing our favorite sport teams of the 1990s. These hats don’t just represent sports franchises of our past and current, but they represent an era in sports dawned by perfection and style. Today these snap backs are back, from street style stores like Supreme, Coat of Arms NYC and Flight Club—if you want it you can find it, but you are going to pay the price. When shopping at stores like these they tend to jack up the price because of their name and the rarity of the specific goods they sell. I tend to search in other places to find gems; I usually hit the streets to find venders that sell the hats for as low as 10 bucks a pop. It shows that as long as your willing to search for something you can find it. So why exactly is the trend so popular right now? One thing is that it represents the past, events and memories that we hold dear to us, the other reasons is that it’s a reemergence of a lost fashion something that has continued to develop even past its prime, the hat you wear doesn’t represent the team on it but rather the style you are trying to achieve. Now look at pop culture from rappers to celebrities and every B-Lister in between, you can find the appearance of snap back hats, the colors and vintage old school style is what everyone now a days is trying to achieve. It should be interesting to see how this current trend develops, as people from all spectrums begin to sport it will the celebrities that dawn these hats move on to bigger and better things? Or will it continue to develop and blossom in to something even bigger? I guess well just have to see for now but one thing is for sure, if you wear a classic snap back. You are going to look good.

Classic Meats Classic(er)

Vintage is certainly in, from shopping at Salvation Army and Goodwill to splurging on over priced t-shirts at “vintage stores” wearing recycled clothing seems to be something more permanent then a fad. Even more unique then standard used clothing is recycled luxury brands such as LV, Channel and Gucci—these recycled goods still have their high end flare yet in addition the years under its belt adds a classic twist.

But then there comes something out of left field, the “Better off Dead” edition of t-shirt and hoodies from design Karl the Butcher. From first glance it appears that they are just classic vintage recycled high-end apparel, yet a closer look revels much-much more. The design by Karl the Butcher takes the classic LC, CC and Gucci logos and puts a modern yet demonic twist to it. A closer look at the product shows what exactly the type of graphics he uses is. From organs to old knifes and everything else in between he utilizes the shapes and sizes of these items and creates the classic logos making an eerie yet beautiful design. The shirts range from about 30$ and sweatshirts start at 60$ I see this as a steal because your getting a replication of a brand for the cheapest price possible. The shirts represent that vintage classic flare without the price tag and with the added bonus of a serious artistic twist. I love what is happening with artistic collaborations as of late, the creations that are happening are changing the fashion and art world, as we know it.