Recent pickups that spark joy
Great shirts by good people, accessories that elevate everyday life, handcrafted belts from Italy, a pair of shoes on my mind, and more!
I’m off to New York next week, better known as the city that absolutely decimates my bank account. I’m excited though! I haven’t been in a bit and I’m hyped to check out some new stores, visit old friends, and discover new brands I’ve been meaning to see in person — most importantly I will get to update the New York Shopping Guide that needs some love. Until then, I wanted to share a few recent pickups of mine that spark joy. Plus, some belt recommendations from Italy, a pair of shoes from Kleman that’s been on my mind, hats, and more!
BATHER HIGH SUMMER CAPSULE
Bather continues to drop shirts that are built for the heat and I can’t get enough. The recent High Summer capsule just hit their store and it’s one designed for folks who are looking for maximum breathability from their tops. Made in Canada, the Leisure shirts are made using a cotton viscose material sourced from Japan that is extremely thin.
I’d say that they are pretty roomy in terms of their fit, and even though I wear a size large in most shirts, I could have easily gone down a size if I wanted a slightly slimmer fit. The brown shirt might be my favorite out of the two, which comes with some stitch detailing that is more noticeable up close — this style also comes in a nice light blue color that also slaps.
The Leisure shirt is available directly on the Bather website here.
WITH A BEGINNER’S MIND
Good clothes are great, and when those clothes are made by good people I have no choice but to stan. That’s how I feel about With A Beginner’s Mind, a brand out of Los Angeles that has been doing its thing since 2020. I’ve been fortunate enough to try some of the pieces — most notably their sweatsuit — and I haven’t looked back since. Great stuff that’s simple, made well, and is easy to incorporate into your wardrobe.
My most recent pickup from the brand is the Transition Overshirt which is made using Japanese cotton, comes in a wider fit and a straight hem. I’d say it’s a good midweight shirt that still has a good level of breathability, and for the price of under $150, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this certified slapper.
Anyway, big ups to Matt, the man behind the brand. Highly recommend following the journey on Instagram here. You can shop the Transition Overshirt here.
STUFF THAT ELEVATES YOUR LIFE
I enjoy collecting random house objects. Good accessories look great around the place, and they end up elevating your everyday life without you realizing it. The things I have are random knick-knacks, fun ashtrays that I collect for fun, and whatever else that I end up finding. This cowhide leather trey from Hender Scheme is a recent addition that I’m just really excited to have in my house.
I’m an absolute sucker for Hender Scheme. Their leather products are just insanely good — I feel like folks mostly know their footwear, which slaps, but they have tons of accessories like wallets, key chains, and other home items that instantly level up your everyday life. I think what I love most about their leather products is the way they age and change color with use. The natural cowhide will end up wearing in exceptionally with age, which will end up turning into this slightly aged oak — just nerd stuff that gets me hyped.
We all have random loose stuff around the house that we don’t know what to do with, so why not just organize it in a nice-looking tray? Easy. Ceramic trays are a classic, but something about the lightweight aspect paired with the leather detailing on this one just looks and feels way chicer.
I ended up getting mine on Haven, but it seems as though I might have grabbed the last one. No stress though because I found it on this other website here.
DIME + ADIDAS
The all-black Dime Adidas Superstar that dropped last year is currently my favorite everyday shoe — that premium leather upper has aged like fine wine, and offers a whole different level of comfort. So when I saw the upcoming Adidas Stan Smith collaboration I just knew I had to cop it for my rotation. I wish Adidas put premium leather on their regular colorways and not just collabs because it just takes their shoes to a whole new level, but alas. Highly recommend giving it a whirl next time you’re looking for a good leather sneaker!
I also ended up grabbing the slides that were part of the same collaboration because I realized I don’t have any good beach ready footwear for me to get a fit off. They come in two different gradient colorways, and are only $60! Simple slides that will do the trick for this summer while making you look good. I do suggest going up a size on these as they fit snug.
Both are currently available on the Dime website.
BELTS BELTS BELTS
Ok, so you have the fit, you have the shoes, but what about your belt bro… I see too many good fits not being paired with good belts and it hurts me. Not all fits need belts though, so don’t get it twisted. I get it though, finding a good belt is kind of difficult, but I’m here to drop the knowledge you need to get yourself fitted in no time.
Anderson’s is an Italian leather belt maker that has been making their belts in Parma for over 50 years now. Their quality can be felt instantly upon holding their products in hand, and for their reasonable pricing, this is an item worth investing in.
There’s a pretty good selection available over at The Next Door which come in various price points and sizes. Here are some of my favorites:
ANOTHER SHOE ON MY MIND
I do not need any more shoes but the heart wants what it wants, and I knew things were not going to be good for my wallet when I saw this particular image of the Kleman Padrini V.
The toebox detailing is everything, and while these have sold out in every size on their website, I did find an alternative store that has a bunch of sizes still available for you to enjoy. — They don’t offer half sizes which is unfortunate but I would recommend just going half a size down as the suede will stretch out. I will say, prepare to deal with that breaking in pain. It’s no joke, but it’s nothing a menswear enthusiast like you can’t handle. A little bonus is that the store I linked does returns in case you get the wrong size!
SOME SALES INTEL
Palace SS24 is hitting us with up to 40% off on a bunch of gear from their latest season. The sale begins this Saturday, July 13th on the Palace website. Not entirely sure how much of the SS24 stuff will be on sale, but I’m guessing a lot of the remaining stock will hit the shelves — this season had a bunch of heat and this is going to be a great opportunity to snag some stuff for the low. You’ve been warned.
THISISNEVERTHAT + NEW ERA
I’m not really a hat guy and because of that, my hat recommendations are little to none. I need to change that though because a bunch of you have been hitting me up about it. With that being said, the latest thisisneverthat New Era collaboration is a good place to start.
Not to turn this into baseball talk, but I know me plugging the Yankees might get a couple of readers hot, but that’s ok — a huge chunk of our readership is out of New York so I had to come correct. Anyway, the hat pack comes with some cool embroidery detailing on the NY, mesh back version, and even suede caps. By the time you’re reading this the collaboration has already been out for a 10 or so hours, so hoping that sizes will still be available, but I’m guessing that this drop will go very fast so don’t sleep!
The collaboration is available directly on the thisisneverthat website here.