Broke and Bespoke

The Unfused Collar

Khakis of Carmel MTM Shirting. Full review forthcoming.

#Pre-Americana

This is the only footwear I brought with me on my trip—Chippewa ‘Katahdin Iron Works’ boots from L.L. Bean. My father-in-law is a builder, and he and my mother-in-law built their own house, including the stone wall on which the shoes perch here in the photographs. The stones used to pave the old part of town, and are said to have been laid by Cornwallis’ soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The town was preparing to toss the stones when they put more modern paved roads in, and my father-in-law grabbed a bunch with which to pave the front walk, and to build a nice wall. Pretty cool for a history nerd.

Chester Mox: Leather Wallets Handmade in the U.S.A.

I recently received a wallet to review from the Los Angeles-based husband and wife team that runs Chester Mox. Chester Mox offers a wide-ranging assortment of handmade leather wallets that run the gamut from eminently affordable (even by my standards) sleeve-style wallets like this $39 “dogleg” number made from Horween Chromexcel leather, cleverly designed simple multi-pocket slim wallets like this $60 Horween horsehide one, all the way up to more limited run pieces like this $240 dark green Horween shell cordovan slim bifold wallet, or this $360 American alligator bifold.

I first heard about Chester Mox about a year ago when they were written up on PutThisOn!, at which point I immediately placed an order for this $44 dogleg wallet made out of Horween Front Quarter Horsehide. I’ve been carrying it every day since I received it (until the review wallet arrived) and it is breaking in beautifully. The simple and robust construction has had no problems despite the wallet having been slipped in an out of overly-tight jeans and pants pockets thousands of times. The thick nylon stitching remains tight in the same places where it was originally stiched on by hand, and the handpainted edges of the thick leather look as good as new, though with a bit more character now. And the smooth horsehide has been tastefully darkened by the oils from my hands. 

The wallet I received from Chester Mox for review is this more refined compact bifold made out of an exceptionally fine high-grade Italian calf which Chester Mox calls “Antiqued.” It is the same leather that John Lobb and Hermes uses for their “Museum Calf” products. This wallet is absolutely stunning, and is probably the nicest leather accessory I’ve ever handled, and I’m not being hyperbolic. It has been beautifully hand burnished, and has subtle color gradations that give it a deeply luxurious look. It reminds me of what a finely bound and covered renaissance incunabula must have looked like, and I’ve no doubt it could weather the passage of centuries and only get finer with age. The wallet has been elegantly and simply designed, and has slots to hold 4 cards (you could of course stack cards if you want, and the leather would no doubt stretch to accomodate that) and two additional ‘hidden’ pockets where you can stash your cash and more cards if necessary.

The wallet is very compact, but it is not dainty, and it feels quite solid in the hand. And it slips easily into the interior chest pocket of a suit jacket without creating any kind of unsightly protuberance. Chester Mox offers a laser etching service for an additional $10, and there are numerous fonts you can choose from. The laser etching on both my Chester Mox wallets is precise, and was perfectly executed. 

What I really appreciate about Chester Mox is their wide range of products and the very reasonable pricing structure they have in place. There are some other companies around that sell very similar wallets to Chester Mox’s simpler offerings, and they charge about twice as much, and have a narrower selection of leathers to choose from and no personalization options. That makes Chester Mox a no-brainer for me. And with the holidays fast-approaching, a Chester Mox wallet would make an amazing gift for a friend, loved one, or family member.

Custom Made in the U.S.A.: Ratio/Clothing Handcrafted Shirting

There’s no shortage of online custom and MTM (made to measure) shirt companies these days, but each have their own take on why they offer a good value proposition. Ratio/Clothing, based out of Denver, CO., speaks to the significant portion of the menswear universe that favors clothing that is made domestically right here in the U.S.A.

Additionally, Ratio/Clothing offers a custom sizing system that is much less of a hassle than many other online shirtmakers in that you don’t have to provide as many measurements in order to end up with a shirt that fits you like it was custom made. True to its name, Ratio/Clothing has a no-measuring-required 5-point variable sizing formula that they use to determine the measurements of a shirt that will fit you better than any off-the-rack shirt. Off-the-rack shirts are generally designed for the most commonly denominated figure, and based on only two measurements: neck size and sleeve length, Ratio/Clothing bases its shirts on 5 separate aspects of a customer’s build.

When ordering a Ratio/Clothing Shirt, you need only provide a few measurements (i.e., jacket size, jacket length, neck size, etc.) and choose a fit (Classic Fit, or Slim Fit), and then move on to choosing from a bevy of custom options regarding collar style, cuff details, and so on. It definitely makes the process of ordering a more customized shirt much easier than many other retailers who require multiple measurements. But this can have its down side as well—sort of. 

Though I was offered a complimentary shirt, true to brokeandbespoke form I went with one of the least expensive and least formal fabric options, a simple grey Oxford cloth. I wanted to take a fairly common, relatively informal, and quintessentially American fabric and choose options that would give it a slightly more refined look—like a cutaway collar (Ratio calls this option the ‘Londoner’ collar, and you need to request it in writing, as it’s not yet available as an option in their online ordering process) as opposed to the more common button down collar one would expect to find on an Oxford cloth shirt. I’m quite pleased with the result, as it takes advantage of the customizable options Ratio/Clothing offers and I now have a shirt that, while pretty informal and in line with my day-to-day needs, still has some character and detailing that separates it from more commonly available shirts.

Once I’d chosen my fabric and was ready to begin the ordering process I just followed the Ratio/Clothing sizing questionnaire and received a shirt that fit quite nicely in the shoulders, arms, and chest, but was far too tight in the stomach, where, as readers know, I carry a bit of burger weight. Luckily, Ratio/Clothing’s customer service is top-notch, and they are true to their ‘First Time Customer Guarantee,’ so I just emailed Ratio/Clothing, received a prompt reply from the company owner Eric (the company is still small enough that customer’s can interface with the actual owner to sort out any fit issues), and we set about on a very smooth series of emails where we dialed in the measurements that needed to be altered in order to have a shirt that fit perfectly.

Though I wish I’d been in contact with Eric from the get-go (which is, as far as I can tell, fully an option as well if you’re concerned the no-measurements-required approach won’t dial in your fit on the first try) because it would have saved Ratio/Clothing the expense of making me an initial shirt that was too small in the waist, the fact that I didn’t afforded me the opportunity to see Ratio/Clothing’s awesome customer service in action. The end result is very nice indeed: the shirt fits perfectly, the fabric is both robust and soft, the stitching is perfect, the construction excellent, and the packaging was beautifully presented.

Of the many online custom shirting companies whose websites I’ve perused, Ratio/Clothing seems to offer the most rugged fabric options for those customers whose style tends more towards Americana/workwear. They have a nice selection of fine flannels and chambrays that set their offerings apart from other companies who aim more towards a dressier clientele. Ratio/Clothing’s prices run from $89 for their most basic fabrics up to about $160 for their finest, and at those price points there’s something for everyone.

Even though I am as budget-conscious and deal-savvy as they come, I recognize that $89 for a custom shirt that is made right here in the U.S.A. is a great deal, and highly recommend checking out Ratio/Clothing if you’re in the market for a custom shirt.

Thanks again to Eric of Ratio/Clothing for his consummate customer service, and for running  a company that manufactures its products right here in the U.S.A.!

I recently contacted Daniel Lau, proprietor of Kala Eyewear, which is a small eyeglass frame manufacturer located in Hayward, CA (the city where I was born!), hoping I might be able to get a peek into the production process of these great locally made glasses. Daniel oversees the design and production of a sizable line of vintage-inspired frames that are all handmade in his Hayward workshop, where 11 people are employed in every step of the manufacturing process.

I myself own 2 pairs of Kala frames, the Buddy and the Max, and thought that since I now have a venue where I can wax poetic about the things I love, I might as well shoot him an email in the hopes that I’d get a tour of the workshop and photodocument it for my readers. While Daniel thought a tour of the tiny workshop might be a little too disruptive to the workflow, he did kindly invite me to swing by a trunk show that happened today at San Francisco’s Through the Hayes Optometry, a delightfully well-stocked and tastefully curated optometry clinic and eyewear shop located in SF’s Hayes Valley neighborhood, right at 529 Hayes St.

The trunk show was themed around the ancient Mayan calendrical prediction that the end of days is upon us, and that if December is going to see the end times, we might as well go out in a stylish pair of frames. To this end, Daniel produced a limited number of great frames for the occasion (two of which are pictured in the second row of pictures above, and all of which appear in the topmost picture), with ‘Through the Hayes’ and ‘End of Days’ etched into the temples. These pieces are all new frame shapes and use unique plastics that won’t be available once the limited productions are sold out. If you live in the Bay Area, and are looking for some true Limited Edition handmade eyewear for $185, get to Through the Hayes now…

That brings me to another reason why I appreciate Kala Eyewear so much besides the fact that they’re locally made in the town where I was born, and that is that they’re priced very competitively for eyeglass frames designed and manufactured from top to bottom in the USA.

$185 for handmade frames whose quality is comparable to much more expensive brands like Oliver Peoples, Paul Smith, Alain Mikli (all of which I’ve owned), etc., is a great deal—and an even better deal if you have a vision insurance plan that is accepted at stockists of Kala Eyewear. This just happened to me at the beginning of this month, so I’ll probably be sporting a new pair of Kalas soon. 

Daniel was an incredibly friendly guy, and we got to chat a bit about Kala’s history. It has been based in Hayward since 1992, but has recently begun to ramp up its profile a little bit, and has some boutiques that stock their frames in places as far away as Shanghai and the Ukraine. I’ve seen some pictures of Kala frames floating around the tumblrsphere before, one with 1000s of notes—it was not properly tagged—but I suspect that you’ll be hearing more about them in the future.

All together it was a great trip to the city. I got to visit Through the Hayes, where the staff was stylish, knowledgeable, and overwhelmingly friendly (not least because I was given a mimosa), and got a chance to speak with the man behind some of my favorite glasses.

I’ve got the week off of work, so the WIWT shots may take varied forms over the next several days as I make my way through built environments other than the place of my employ. Today, the weather has taken a turn and it feels like winter (albeit a mild one) again.

Layers…

Overcoat: Schott Leather Pea Coat, ebay $80

Jacket: Southwick, thrifted $8

Shirt: Lands’ End Tailored Fit, $12

Tie: Neiman Marcus, thrifted $2

Pocket Square: Nordstrom Rack, $8

Pants: Levi’s 511 Corduroy Jeans, $30

Shoes: Florsheim Royal Imperial Longwings, thrifted $13 (w/ shoetrees)

I wear glasses every day. No contacts, just glasses. And I can’t do without them. As a result, I’ve built up a collection of pretty nice frames over the years (esp. when I have good vision insurance—my current plan is a little lacking…)

These come from one of my favorite brands, and the best thing about them is that they are pretty affordable considering their manufacturing origins and their quality. They’re made by Kala Eyewear. A small company based in San Leandro, CA (go Bay Area!) where all of their frames are handmade. The two pairs of Kalas I have are from when my vision insurance gave me a $150 annual frame allowance and a $200 lens allowance per annum. I’d come out of pocket about $75 for these w/ scratch-resistant and anti-reflective lenses. 

They’re not that widely available, but who knows…maybe if you write them enough emails, or request that your local optometrist carry them, they’ll expand their market. Or maybe you can just call them and see if they sell directly to the customer. The website I linked to is a fairly recent development, so their publicity department could definitely use some work, and they seem like a small enough company that you could possibly swing a sale over the phone if you like one of their frames but no one carries them where you live (that’s purely speculative though).

When I got mine, Kala frames were all $150, which is pretty extraordinary considering they’re handmade in the USA. Now they’re about $175. 

Happy Year of the Dragon!

My dad crushing it for New Year’s Eve, wearing red for good luck. 

Sweater: J Crew, courtesy of yours truly

Shirt: Ralph Lauren Custom Fit red, black, and white plaid flannel, thrifted by me, NWT $7.50 

Shoes: Made in USA SAS velcro dubs, old man comfort steezin’ (and ideal for post-spinal surgery physical therapy). 9.5EE, gotta fit that foot brace! 

Watch: Casio Solar Atomic G-Shock, again courtesy of me.