The baseball hat is a basic staple of the American male wardrobe.  It is comfortable, familiar, functional, and in many ways, iconic.  When sporting casual outfits, a good baseball hat can lend a fun, practical, or even stylish hook to your look.  Right now we are in love with the hat shown here from the Starboard Clothing Co., an Annapolis, Maryland-based brand.

This is a hands down favorite for several reasons.  First, the overall design is well balanced and visually pleasing.  While that may sound a bit overly analytical for a ball cap, when something looks right, you know it when you see it.  Second, the embroidered Anchor-Star logo is just perfect; nautical and classic looking but also a bit unique and distinctive.  Sometimes, hat logos are done too small or large and seem out of scale, but this is just right.  The addition of the brand name across the back is nicely done, as is the small Heron logo on the back left.

Overall, the Starboard Clothing Co. ball cap has the hallmarks of a long-term winner.  It’s a hat we like wearing and regularly reach for.  And, at just $22, it’s a great deal.  It also comes in white, green and brick-red, but navy is still a timeless classic.

Starboard also sell some outstanding handmade madras bow ties.

Founded by Benjamin Meredith, it’s a small company founded on passion.  Ben began making bow ties for his personal use as a young attorney.

As with other entrepreneurs, he quickly took note of the attention and questions garnered by his handmade bow ties and drew up plans for a business that became Starboard Clothing Co.

As it says on their website, “the company takes its name from the nautical term ‘Starboard,’ which indicates the right-hand side of a ship. Maybe that’s why there is something about Starboard Clothing Co. that just feels so ‘right.’”  We agree.

For it’s latest ad campaign, Varvatos has partnered with Green Day, the band which basically created the distinctive rock-punk hybrid sound.  Green Day sports several versions of these sunglasses in the new ad campaign, as well as being fully outfitted in classic John Varvatos rocker duds.

The Varvatos brand has a famously tight association with the music industry and it’s fashion sensibilities reflect this longstanding relationship.

While not what we typically sport here at OTC, we have always liked John Varvatos’ unabashedly and unwavering devotion to the genre.  None of that, “hey, we’re all about rock ‘n roll style now.”  It’s what they do and they do it well, effortlessly shifting between music exec cool and rocker casual.

The sunglasses themselves are a modern take on a classic frame.  Transparent on the front with grey mottled tortoise arms, they are a nice mid-sized frame.  The guitar head detail on the arm hinge is subtle enough to blend into the overall design and not stand out.  Greyed lenses both match the frame’s style and provide nice eye protection without feeling blacked out.

This retro frame also comes in an outstanding brown tortoise for a more traditional take.  You can find them here.  Rock on.

In the coming weeks, you will be learning more about a few of the outstanding brands listed below, such as Lotuff Leather.  We are in fact field testing a leather lock briefcase right now; safe to say they are not getting it back after the review!  Recently, we had the chance to speak with the superlative Ira Neimark, former CEO of Bergdorff Goodman, and the man who’s vision created one of the world’s legendary stores.  His new book, The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman, should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand what it truly means to be an exceptional retailer or influencer of fashion.  Be on the lookout for our review.

Explore, enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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Classic White Oxford Button Down
Lumina Clothing Company
Raleigh, North Carolina

$128.00

Needlpoint Ball Cap
HARDING-LANE
Dedham, Massachusetts

$30.00

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A Man’s Watch: the Polar Surveyor Chronograph
Kobold Watch Company
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

$8,850.00

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Possibly the Best Jeans You Can Buy
Raleigh Denim Workshop
Raleigh, North Carolina
Around $285.00

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The Blue Crab Belt
Knot Belt & Clothing Co.
Boston, Massachusetts
$38.00

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Lessons From a Master Retailer
The Rise of Fashion and Lessons Learned at Bergdorf Goodman
by Ira Neimark
Fairfield, Connecticut

$32.501

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Colored Dress Shoe Laces
hook + ALBERT
New York, New York

From $14.00

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Leather Lock Briefcase
Lotuff Leather
Ware, Massachusetts

$950.00

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Purple Pinedot Tie
Drakes London
London, United Kingdom

£95.00

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CD-15 Notebooks
Apica
Japan

Set of three, $10.80

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The Arte Italiana Milord Fountain Pen
OMAS
Bologna, Italy

$425.00

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In many ways, this is a natural extension of the resurgent interest in menswear, a focus on quality and the unique roles history and social provenance play in gentlemanliness.  Another factor is younger men of style seeking to insert a little distinctive expression into clothing that must still conform, more or less, to the realities of workday life.

Enter hook + ALBERT.  This new accessories brand is one of the first to really focus its wares on the desire of stylish men to find ways of injecting life and personality into their wardrobes without necessarily going all peacock.  What began with a mission to create, colorful yet stylish dress socks with the comfort and support of athletic socks, expanded to include a range of clever and colorful accessories.

The socks are H&A’s core product line, and they are wonderful.  Vibrant colors and fun, work-friendly patterns can now pop out from beneath suit trousers and khakis alike.   Company founders Adam and Cory view socks as “ankle accessories” and opted to reinterpret, and indeed reconstruct, the dress sock itself.  Click here to learn about the welcome technical features of hook + ALBERT socks, like cushioning and arch support.

And, while they first sought to bring change to the luxury sock market, they also felt it was important to offer their customers those hard to find little accessories that can truly make ones’ look unique.

Another big hit has been their line of colored dress shoelaces.  Such a simple idea, but such a huge impact on personal style; we love them.  Colored shoe laces can dress up any shoe, from a beat up brogue to a boardroom-ready cap toe.  By going bright or subtle you can give your shoes, and your overall look, a punch of color or simply a hint of something unique.  Laces come in a standard 30-inch length and fit dress shoes and low boots.

We are especially fond of the stylish incongruity a pair of red or orange laces create when worn with heavy-soled wingtips.  It gives the outfit an unexpected personal twist while not taking away from one’s overall look.

Lapels can be a tricky thing for a modern gent.  Once, a man was sartorially naked without something in his lapel hole – after all, it’s there for a reason.  These days it is hard to put one’s lapel to work without looking overly affected; a pocket watch chain secured with granddad’s favorite fob is just too vintage for most men.  Flowers, though Springy and sophisticated, inevitably lead to being asked if one is heading off to a wedding.  Still, there is something undeniably swanky, and distinctly gentlemanly about displaying a tasteful token on one’s lapel.

Hook & ALBERT’s solution was to create a new take on the boutonniere.  Handmade of soft mercerized cotton, each unique crochet flower secures to the jacket lapel via a shell button on the back.  We are partial to the Storm Blue, but as with their shoe laces, the color chosen – bold or subtle – can project the wearer’s mood, personality and sense of style.

The brand’s simple hopsack neckties are of a contemporary, narrow cut and well-finished.  The tie’s colorful contrast backing located where it lays against the shirt collar (in our case, vibrant red for a navy blue tie), has both practical and aesthetic functions.  The detail also gives it a fun tweak known only to the wearer.  The choice of hopsack also gives the tie a slightly informal, vintage air that is well suited for casual dress, letting it take on the role of a stylish accessory.

Lastly, you may be wondering about the name, “hook + ALBERT.”  So did we.  It turns out the name derives from that most treasured of gentlemanly possessions, the pocket watch.

Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria, liked to wear his pocket watch on a simple chain secured to his vest through a button hole.  The excess length of the chain would drape across his vest in a stylish swag.  As average gentlemen followed this royal fashion cue, it became known as an “Albert” chain.  A single Albert chain has at one end a vest fastener, often a t-bar or decorative button, and at the other a small “hooked” clasp securing the Albert to the pocket watch.  Want to see what a single Albert looks like?  Head over to OTC’s Facebook page – we found a great example.

OTC is happy to recommend the creative and well-made accessories of hook + ALBERT.

The 2011 CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year and head of design at Gant by Michael Bastian, reinterpreted five of Randolph Engineering’s classic frames.  OTC favorites include the gold-tone Sportsman and  Signature Aviator II in chrome with mirrored lenses.

The great thing about these classic, timeless and unabashedly masculine sunglasses is that they get the job done while pretty much never go out of style.  However, don’t wait too long because the MB+RE collaboration is around for limited time and only runs through the end of 2011.

You can order yourself a pair here, or better yet, how about winning a pair for free!

Randolph Engineering and OTC are going to give away pair of RE+MB sunglasses to one lucky OTC reader.  Learn more by checking out the contest on our Facebook page.

The wallet I have carried for more than a decade is from R. Horns, in Vienna – a maker of wonderful leather goods. It is a classic international billfold with two currency sections and eight credit card slots. The rich nutty brown leather, darkened with age and quite thick is still soft. I love it. But it’s not always what I need; sometimes I just want to carry a few cards and other times I want a sort of portable home base to capture all the ephemera of my life.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been testing a few outstanding options – here are two standouts.

From Billykirk, the New York-based leather goods company I have my home base; the No. 217. It’s a big, beautiful zip card/coin wallet that features 12 card slots, 2 interior main compartments and 1 zipped coin pouch. At first stiff and solid, it quickly softened molded to my hand, and to whatever was inside.

Founded by brothers and business partners Kirkland and Christopher Bray, Billykirk makes elegantly functional leather products that combine the best of substance and style.  Most of the manufacturing takes place in Lancaster Country, PA, by Amish craftsman whose attention to detail is genuinely outstanding.

The No. 217 holds all of my cards, receipts, notes, slips of papers and on occasion, my iPhone. Although not dissimilar to a women’s clutch (my wife has tried to adopt it a few times) it is very much a man’s wallet. I’ve found it to be a perfect travel wallet, great for keeping track of all my loose stuff.

It’s also just plain beautiful and something that will likely be passed down at some point (no time soon however).

When I do not need to have access to all my cards, change and cash I now switch gears and pull out a handy, trim and equally outstanding little wallet. The three-pocket Astoria from Waskerd is another great example of a renewed interest in low-impact craftsmanship.

Similar to the production methods of bag maker Will Lisak of ETWAS, all the wallets are handmade by founder Derek Shaw, a self-taught leatherman.

“I was born and raised in Texas and my grandfather raised cattle for a living. I remember waking up with him before the sun came up to help him feed the cows. I have had a fondness of cows and leather ever since. I love leather in its natural state – imperfections and all. I love the smell of leather. I love the feel of it, and more than anything, I love how quality leather patines and forms from handling and use. When I began making wallets I wanted to incorporate some my grandfather and his love for cattle in my work.”

Says Shaw, “almost all of the names of my products have very personal meaning. I’ve lived in Astoria, NY, Bloomfield, PA, and Newport News, VA. Each city and stage in my life has brought me to where I am now and influenced who I am.”

Depending on your needs any one of these gets the job done. Whatever type of wallet you choose, in whichever configuration best matches your needs, choose something you really like. A wallet, like all your personal effects should be an investment. Invest wisely.

Today, men are carrying more stuff than ever and we need a place to put everything.  Smart phone, wallet, iPad, pen and handy notebook, keys and about a dozen other things – more than our pockets will ever hold.

We need a bag.  But a good bag is not a one-shot deal.  Just like anything else in life, we need different bags for different needs and different occasions.  I have a great tobacco brown Hudson leather briefcase from Coach that makes for an outstanding office bag.  Perfect for the Metro, it’s often mistaken for a Tod’s bag and looks great with a suit.

When I need to go more casual I grab my Filson briefcase.  If needs turn to a general holdall of a rugged nature, out comes the custom OTC Timbuk2 messenger bag.  These standbys, along with a closet full of other bags, constitute a rotating inventory that says as much about me as my ties or suits or watches.

One classic bag that stands the test of time is the tote.  In fact, totes are enjoying a particular resurgence at the moment, with makers from Gucci to LL Bean seeing increased demand for these workhorses.

While fancy leather versions are a clever twist on a classic form, the true tote bag was meant to be used and abused.  They get the job done and speak of function trumping form.  Their utility is what makes them so universal.

Seaside totes, like the classic-of-classics, LL Bean’s Boat-and-Tote, are the real deal.  It’s been observed that any respectable New England family should have a dozen or so lying around the house.  That said, I also like the very nautical zip-top totes from True Wind.  A much younger company to be sure (by about eight decades or so), but grounded in the same fixation on quality and utility.

OTC has previously written about True Wind and highlighted their rugged yet light sailcloth bags.  Where some opt for vintage recycled sailcloth, True Wind went straight to Hood Sailmakers, the same company that produces sails for world class racing yachts.  We love their bags’ functional in-your-face nauticalness and Made in America standards.

True Wind is offering OTC readers a special back to school, end of summer, call it what you will, special deal. 

You can get 50% off a large or small Regatta Tote if you place an order before September 9, 2011.  Just use the code HALFTOTE at checkout. This is a great deal on a great, stylish, functional and darn sturdy bag – while supplies last.  And yes, they monogram.

Check out the Regatta Tote on True Wind’s site.

The space was carved out of the front of Raleigh Denim’s workshop.  The small shop also fronts the reclaimed building, exposing the sales floor to an expanse of windows.  While still industrial in scale and feel, Victor and Sarah have created a unique and relaxed retail outlet that reflects their hand crafted sensibilities.

Take for example the ceiling.  Along with John Webb, who moved from San Fransisco to handle domestic and international sales and the Curatory, they hand folded and placed more than 3,500 paper airplanes on its ceiling.  The effect is that of an abstract art installation that at first escapes notice.

Raleigh Denim’s jeans and cords, some of which are available only at their store, share space with the likes of Apolis Activism bags and Jutta Neumann handmade sandals (Sarah also sports one of Jutta’s cool double wrap leather bracelets in the previous article on Raleigh Denim).

A diverse selection of interesting items also includes leather belts and accessories, ethereal scarves, rustic pocket squares and a selection of bow and neck ties.  All small batch production and all hand crafted.

If you find yourself in Raleigh, check out the Curatory and take a peek through the curtain at production floor, right next door.  The spirit of this genuinely refreshing brand is summed up on the workshop’s wall: “To be, rather than to seem.“  It’s the North Carolina state motto.  Even the inspiration is locally sourced.

Additional images from the Curatory:

Simple tag, simple message.

Some of the unique and ever-changing options at the Curatory.

Limited run ties.

Apolis Activism tote bag, complete with pencils.

Detail of Apolis Activism tote.

Handmade belts

Cool, slightly rough pocket squares.

Unique color runs you can only get at the store.

3,500 hand-folded paper airplanes on the Curatory ceiling.

The totally cool and seriously connected John Webb.

However, the simple task of transporting papers and a file or two in style can leave many of us at a loss.  Whether a business meeting or the simple desire to pare down and try something with functional flair, that gray space between bag and manila folder is sometimes tricky.

To whit, I offer you the the leather document folio.  Simple, elegant, clean and actually quite versatile.

Whether you’re jetting off to Paris or sitting down for a three o’clock staff meeting, your accessories should always be stylish and well thought out. While there are a variety of folio styles, the zippered style that opens up on three sides is a favorite of mine.  It lays flat on a table and allows for quick access.  I also like the classic larger under arm “college professor” folio.

True, folios have limited space and can never really compete with the functionality of a messenger bag or roomy elegance of a soft sided brief bag. You always have to hold it, or tuck it under your arm, and often there is no outside slash pocket for a paper or metro pass.  But such limitations are to me a big part of their charm.

By necessity I am forced to shed most of the stuff I habitually carry around but never really use.  It is simplification by requirement.

There are variety of other formats when it comes to leather folios, from a simple, single zippered pocket to the stylistic flair of an envelope style tuck-in flap.  Some are wider, to accommodate a little more – maybe a thin laptop, iPad or book.  The variety is endless, and that’s what makes them so interesting and useful.  For example, my Jack Spade banker’s envelope is just one big pocket, while an older folio from Italy contains a beautifully crafted selection of sleeves and pockets.

What to carry? A wallet.  A phone. A pad, a pen, some calling or business cards, and a few important documents should do the job.