Finally, here it is; my review of the 2007 edition of Esquire’s Big Black Book (BBB). Several folks over at Esquire are fans of Off The Cuff and were kind enough to send me an advanced copy of the BBB to review.

Regardless of how it arrived, rest assured that I read it cover to cover with an independent eye. After last year’s issue I was a little apprehensive. Could they do it again? Would lightning strike twice or would this year’s instalment reach the pinnacle of averageness like the second issue of Men’s Vogue (long since recovered of course; it’s a regular favorite of mine)?

I’m afraid that the 2007 issue of the Big Black Book does not meet my expectations.

It exceeds them.

OK, sorry for the cheesy run up, I couldn’t help it. I really was a little apprehensive as the first installment of this yearly tome was just so good. I can actually say that this one is better; not that last year’s had any real faults but this issue feels a bit more directed.

Overall Impression
Up front my verdict is pretty straight forward: buy it, read it, keep it.

You know when you get a new magazine and after leafing through the pages and reading the articles, you decide that most of it can be tossed? What do you do? You tear out the stuff you want and recycle the rest. If you’re like me you also organize and archive the pages you did keep for later reference – but that’s another story. Well, in the case of the 2007 BBB that’s not really the best approach because I did not find one uninteresting thing in there.

First off, they’re being cagey this year: it’s not actually black, it’s red. Second, at 207 pages it’s a bit longer than last year’s 186. Also, the general feel is much more along the lines of an actual guide as opposed to a magazine’s special edition. In fact, the cover’s design vaguely reminds me of a stripped down, modern Preppy Handbook. Maybe I just need some more coffee.

There are a lot of advertisements, but I didn’t even notice most of them. It appears that the ad sales staff made a point of telling their clients that the readers of the BBB want information, not just pretty pictures of cool stuff. Many of the ads actually included specs and useful information – very refreshing and helpful. As a result of this approach, I might actually look into some of them. It seems to work as Esquire noted a full third of last years’ BBB readers actually bought a product featured in the book.

Editorial
As I have said, last year’s edition was great; none the less, this year’s is better for a couple of reasons. With a good balance between short and longer form articles it’s easy read “The Incredible Shrinking Suit” on page 63 and quickly move on to “The Bespoke Life” on page 130. Both are well written and you defiantly feel a little smarter having looked them over.

The guide portion of the BBB falls into four areas: Maintenance, Formality, Informality, and Etiquette. As with last year, this section is contagious and printed on an untreated, industrial paper, giving it a practical field-manual feel. The four major photo spreads each follow a particular theme: classic hunting clothing; commuter style; the clean, modern “less-is-more” aesthetic; and the influence military gear has on fashion.

Interspersed throughout the book are short photo essays, like “The Essentials” starting on page 32. I was particularly happy to see that my purchase of a Montblanc 149 about ten years ago was indeed a good investment (page 44); even adjusted for inflation that thing is expensive.

One last thought, a particular favorite of mine is “The Little Things: A field guide to personal effects,” starting on page 75. As a lover of detail and practical functionality when it comes to luxury goods, this collection of vignettes – the personal possessions of four fictional yet stylish men – is excellent. I find myself going back to it for inspiration and finding something new each time.

It’s not so much the actual items presented, but rather the implied personality of each guy that I find so interesting. It fits my belief that a man’s most personal possessions truly tells you who he is and what he values. Check out my recent post on the topic.

Final Words
What Esquire does better than most style magazines falls between the ears. It’s smart, not just fashion-y; when I go though a publication like the the Big Black Book I don’t get hit with only what’s in or what’s stylish or what I should want. I learn something about classic elegance and timeless style that fits seamlessly with the modern world.

As someone who tries to help men find their own style and appreciate the value of quality and personality, I want to thank the folks at Esquire. The hard work is appreciated, you did a great job.

While patiently waiting for the the 2007 edition of Esquire’s Big Black Book, due to hit the stands a mere month from now, I recently checked out the mobile version of Esquire: m.Esquire.com.

As we become a society even more on the move, our favorite magazines rush to keep up with us wherever we go. To compliment it’s traditional website, Esquire.com, the magazine has created the mobile version I’m looking at right now, and it’s pretty cool. It’s also very useful as these things go; I mean, you can only fit so much on a cell phone or Blackberry screen.

David Granger, Esquire’s editor, and Sophia Stuart, Mobile Director at Hearst Digital Media, have combed through 75 years of archives to pull out useful, bite size nuggets of information for the sartorially curious. You’ll find important things like where to find the country’s best bars, useful things like the 70 greatest sentences, and my favorite, the new laws of fashion.

Esquire Mobile Header

Here you’ll find the nuts-and-bolts of good advice, like, “A man should not shop for more clothes, he should shop for better ones;” and “Buy the suit that fits, not the one you wish you could fit into.”

You can also download very cool vintage wallpapers for your screen, contact the Esquire crew directly to give them an update on what the Hawk ‘n’ Dove has on tap, and even search this mini mobile website.

Most importantly though, the site is easy to navigate, has a clean layout, and its easy to read on a small screen. Overall, the Esquire folks have done a great job shrinking a whole lot of information into a tight space that’s worth checking in on regularly.

I just picked up the first full production issue of Antenna, a new quarterly men’s style magazine. I think what caught my attention is that, in a vague way, it reminds of Monocle. One thing both magazines do have in common is that they are more reference guides than disposable tabloids. Both are interesting, fun to look at, creative, and most importantly – worth spending money on.

Where Monocle is a densely packed international wrap-up covering everything from geopolitics to where to find great socks, Antenna is more targeted on the emerging elements of style. It’s actually a little easier to say what Antenna is not: it’s not a catalog, it’s not a celebrity filled vanity mag, and it’s not what’s-hot-right-now-shill. Here is how they describe themselves:

“Antenna is the first mainstream magazine to target individuals who are on a constant quest for the newest and coolest products on the horizon. And it does so without using celebrities, models, concept shoots, service stories and whatever else we deem superfluous to our mission: to become a guidebook, allowing readers to navigate the most extensive collection of products ever compiled in a single publication, while championing the people who create, sell and collect them—all in one comprehensive, artful, elegant and innovative format. Featuring everything from dress shirts and cellphones to jeans and graphic T’s, Antenna is considered to be a non-disposable magazine in a disposable world. And you cannot ask for more than that.”

Organized alphabetically, it is filled with products ranging from Bluetooth phones to $3,000 Bell & Ross watches. Selling stuff isn’t the point here; style, design, and intrinsic value is. While there is a definite urban, even skater feel to their product choices, what’s captivating is how everything is presented without hype or attitude. No fashion vanity here, the products are the stars. This issue has a sneaker theme, not something I normally reach for; but you know,I found it fascinating.

From the preview issue

The functionally indexed quality of Antenna is offset with several in-depth interviews of designers and influencers who actually have something interesting to talk about, like Jeff Ng, founder of Staple Design.

If they can keep it fresh, irreverent, and informative for the holiday issue, I’ll make space on my book shelf for future volumes. Priced at $7.95, it’s not really an impulse buy, but I don’t think they want to be. Setting up a mail subscription will drop your cost to $4.00 per issue (Summer, Spring, Fall, Holiday). For more content and subscription information, check out the website.