I’m in New York for some meetings on a major project that will be announced shortly. Our team had a nice dinner in the West Village and afterwords we strolled over to the East side. Along the way, we passed by the world famous Strand Bookstore and I had the chance to duck in and…
Author: OTC
J. Crew in Georgetown
Last Tuesday evening, the J. Crew Men’s Shop in Georgetown was closed down for a private cocktail party with Frank Muytjens and an invited cross section of Washington D.C.’s style crowd. OTC was happy to be on the list. Frank is the head menswear designer for J. Crew, so if you love the weathered updated…
Classic Style Is Always Green
In honor of Earth Day, I decided to revisit one of my favorite columns on the green aspects of classic style. Now more than ever, it’s important to think about the effects, small and large, that we have on the environment and on our rather tiny planet. Classic style – however you choose to characterize…
Ivy League Via London
If you are trying to track down that perfect Yalie bag, it might be worth looking to the Brits for inspiration. Smart Turnout’s new Yale University Canvas Holdall has a beefy exterior belying a clever blue and white striped silk lining. While I have not gotten my hands on one yet, Smart Turnout is a…
Start ‘Em Early
The family OTC recently got together with some friends on a warm Spring evening for a relaxed birthday celebration that included bocce and the random chipping of golf balls. Add in some Dogfish Head 90 Minute, and it was a nice time indeed. While we all tried to achieve a certain “lawn party” casual look,…
The Spring/Summer Scarf
So, is the summer scarf fashion or fad? I’ll try a third option and let’s call it stylish. When I first noticed the trend of men sporting gauzy, lightweight scarves last year, my initial reaction was something to the effect of, “oh, please…” If it’s warm outside that automatically makes the use of any kind…
Brand Repositioning Done Right: Smart Turnout
How do you reposition a brand that’s already successful in your home market for customers across the ocean? Take a page from the playbook of British apparel and accessories retailer Smart Turnout. OTC has long been an admirer of this creative and authentically English brand. Originally built around jumpers (sweaters to us Americans) executed in…
Kennedy’s Officially Launches in Rockville – Tomorrow Night
Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club, the upscale barbershop franchise I recently profiled, will be hosting it’s Rockville, Maryland, Grand Opening and Open House tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The evening’s proceeds will go to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project. It’s going to be a lot of fun; food and beverages will be…
An Afternoon With Alan Flusser
If there is one name in the world of menswear that genuinely deserves the overwrought moniker of legend, it’s Alan Flusser. Alan is not just a menswear designer, not just an author, not just an innovator and not just the guy who invented Gordon Gekko’s signature look for the movie Wall Street (only one of…
What’s Tiger Wearing? It’s In The Script.
Down in Augusta, Georgia, the Master’s golf tournament just got underway. While it’s one of the world’s leading venues for any golfer, this year it’s all about Tiger Woods. I’ll bypass the obvious storyline here because I want to point out something else: what Tiger’s wearing and why. To the surprise of many, Nike, a…