J. Panther Luggage company makes one of our all time favorite brief bags, the Courier Ruc. With a design based on the classic zip-around form and a build made to handle New York commutes, the Courier Ruc is an elegantly durable hybrid. Now, the JPLC folks have added to the Ruc family, rending their flagship…
Author: OTC
Nantucket Brand’s Half-Zip Sweater
The tiny but enchanting island of Nantucket has long been a magnet for lifestyle and aspirational brands. The handsomely rugged location and windswept geography, combined with the island’s historically East Coast patrician aesthetic, make for an irresistible backdrop. Apart from the Kennedy compound-ish positioning that often accompanies Nantucket themed marketing or product shoots, the island…
A 5K Day with Some Favorite Workout Brands
Fall means cooler weather and shorter days. For the runners among us, it also means race season. Whether the local 5K or New York City Marathon, the fun, excitement, and competition of a well-organized road race is something looked forward to as autumn’s crispness settles in. OTC’s Chris Hogan hit the pavement the first weekend…
OTC Visits Ledbury
Ledbury, the Richmond, Virginia, clothing brand best known for its exceptionally well-crafted shirts, is in expansion mode. Founders Paul Trible and Paul Watson, who met while in graduate school at Oxford – and apprenticing with one of London’s well-known tailors. They were committed to creating an American tailored clothing brand with Saville Row quality, geared…
H&B London: Exceptional Handmade Wallets
H&B London is the kind of brand you might expect to find in England. Small and smartly turned out, the firm produces exclusive luxury goods in small batches. Launched this year, they currently offer two styles of mens wallets – breast pocket and billfold – and a range of geometrically unique sterling silver cufflinks. …
Read Wall’s Clean American Prep
Simple lines and details that are both functional and aesthetically relevant are the rule when it comes to Read Wall’s clothes. For example, his oxfords are trim but not skinny, and have a unique feature that speaks directly to his grown-up sense of American style; a flapped chest pocket. Some designer like shirt pockets, others…
ECCO: Your ‘Heading Out’ Shoes
Everyone needs a pair of shoes that serve as your default. The ones that you pull on when heading out to the store, walk the dog, run some errands, or an afternoon antiquing. ECCO makes those shoes, and they make them well. In fact, the privately held Danish company is the only major shoe manufacturer…
Birchbox Find: Hanz de Fuko
Even classically stylish guys need to focus on grooming. While we here at OTC central don’t have a major personal care regimen, per se, we do need good stuff for our hair. And thanks to our friends at Birch Box, we now have a new favorite hair styling brand, Hanz de Fuko, which is currently…
The Guideshop: Bonobos Brick & Mortar
As the company which innovated the hyper-customer focused online experience, Bonobos more or less redefined what being a great brand means in today’s world. The company has grown into a legitimate player in the bare-knuckled world of clothing retail, so much so that in 2012, Nordstrom led a $16.4 million investment round in the company. …
Deo Veritas: The Best Online Custom Shirts
Deo Veritas makes custom shirts and as far as we are concerned, theirs are some of the finest OTC has reviewed. From fabric to fit to construction to detail, the product is exceptional and perhaps the closest to bespoke we have found. Established in 2007, this Chicago-based company is focused on providing outstanding shirting, perfecting…