🔥FIRE SALE🔥 No. 1
Another newsletter…it can’t be. The boys down at City Hall have called on me, the acting Fire Chief of the Internet, to attend to the three-alarm fire that is the modern fashion landscape. You maybe be asking yourself, what is “FIRE SALE”? Well here’s the situation. The goal of this newsletter is to combat the malicious false alarms in the ever metastasizing cancer of internet trend cycles, overtly condescending advertisements, and self-promoting micro experts. I may have an opinion here or there, and I may try to steer someone in what I consider the right direction, but I would never tell you what to wear. We all know the type of guy on TikTok at the moment. He has model looks and discovered Bode during lockdown. He is working on his latest shoe rotation video as we speak. He had the inspired idea to style his ALD New Balances with Carhartt double knees. He uses the word “styling” to describe simply getting dressed. For me, these small trash fires of style have coalesced into the all-consuming blaze of a class G forest fire. So ultimately, what is FIRE SALE? It’s a newsletter that aims to help its readers find forever pieces, think more critically about getting dressed, and help people become themselves. Together, as our own volunteer fire department, we can put out this corny blaze.
The weather is undeniably turning for the best, but as I write this, we are having a quintessential icy rain spit storm in New York City. Spring is full of strange days where the last breaths of winter sting as hard as any sub-zero day in January. This hunting jacket from Johnson Woolen Mills, made in Vermont, is a perfect piece to ride out these last frigid days. Johnson Woolen Mills has been making wool pieces for loggers, huntsman, and fishermen for 177 years, so it should have you covered unless you spend your days chopping down sugar maples.
I am on a personal crusade to incorporate red into my wardrobe. On government forms I identify as “pale-as-hell”. My ancestry is Welsh, Irish, Austrian, and English. A pretty hideous genetic composition for good skin. Given my pasty European genes, I have always felt that red made my skin look like undercooked chicken, but I have determined I can look good in red after some experimentation. Perhaps I’ve gained some delusional self-confidence, or perhaps I’ve simply decided not to care. I have fallen deeply in love with this Woolrich Mackinaw Jacket. This jacket was built for Michiganders to schlep goods across the frozen Lake Michigan coastline before the advent of synthetic fabrics. The highly functional pile-lined coat in superb condition would make a beautiful addition to any closet. I am especially taken by the pockets on the back of the coat.
I have spent some time in Mackinaw at my best friend’s lakehouse. There we commune with nature and a case of Stroh’s (perhaps the worst beer ever). When you are in the immense presence of Michigan’s everflowing pure air and legendary forests it’s easy to imagine the indigenous peoples who lived in that frosty Eden. In a way, the Mackinaw jacket is an ode to the “cultural exchange” between indigenous peoples and fur trappers. Early Great Lakes trappers commissioned the native Métis people to create 40 greatcoats from local textiles. These resulting jackets were perfect for the conditions, and Woolrich codified them as a symbol of the North American frontier. Though we need to understand, the jacket is just another example of a symbolic garment of the White frontier being misattributed to the violent colonialists rather than peaceful people who lived in those lands thousands of years before.
This Italian suede bomber jacket will have your best friend shrieking price estimates at you George Costanza style.
There are infinite statement hats on the streets these days. Fashion clones with tech jobs (aka Ray’s patrons) rock their ALD Yankees fitted, Noah five-panel cap, or the god-forsaken OnlyNY hat with the same misplaced confidence that secured them a raise this quarter. With a suede bill and beautiful wool pattern, this vintage piece from Woolrich has the classic shape that the basic ~fashun~ hats are modeled off of but is simultaneously more unique and more understated.
Menswear has managed to cycle through nearly every single working-class aesthetic. Cowboys, construction workers, and mechanics have all been caught in the talons of the creative class. May I suggest the next offering? Aeronautics!
Growing up in Indianapolis, it wasn’t so strange to see people with jackets and hats adorned with motor oil or tire company patches. These pieces were often disregarded as the uniform of grease-covered hicks, but with the growth of Formula 1’s popularity, the United States has grown an appetite for more refined racing sponsors such as the insignias of Malboro, Ferrari, and Hugo Boss. Aeronautics strikes a perfect balance between grease monkey American muscle and sophisticated transcontinental travel.
When Honda Aircraft Company CEO Michimasa Fujino was designing the first HondaJet he drew inspiration from a pair of Ferragamo heels. The result is an effortlessly elegant plane that distinguishes itself from Honda’s automotive identity. Honda's PJ's sleek design and technological achievements hardly resemble my clunky forest green ‘98 Accord and its barely functional iTrip from high school. The HondaJet logo aspires to the same beauty, and this hat, in a fine royal blue, will help you stand out in a sea of newly minted Formula 1 fans who love vintage Williams racing gear but don’t know who Aryton Senna is.
I just flew across the world to Sydney, and frankly I am inclined to gatekeep the entire experience. Aussies, who have pioneered chugging beers out of stinky shoes, and sunburns, have also managed to perfect breakfast toasties and espresso. Who knew that a healthy dose of sunshine and being on the opposite sleep cycle of everyone and everything that stressed me out could be such a recipe for happiness? The most beloved brand in Australia, and one of the finest airlines I’ve ever flown, is Qantas. The Spirit of Australia really embodied the no-frills hospitality you can detect with a simple g’day from anyone down under. Qantas has managed to sponsor nearly every significant Australian sporting event throughout its storied history, from the Australian GP to this beautiful Cantebruy Wallabies Rugby League jersey. As #blokeboysummer is approaching, switch it up with this piece.
At LAX this week, I was painfully reminded that the airport is the most depressing place in the world. Gone are the days of royal service, champagne, and smoking lounges. Long live painful plastic earbuds, a handful of almonds, and screaming babies. Having said that, the remnants of luxury liners are readily available for purchase. This 1970s American Airlines DC-10 Luxury Liner mechanic’s jacket is well lined with a quality ribbed cuff and is one of many on eBay. In the post-COVID world, airlines are, unfortunately, a shell of themselves. This jacket is an ode to an era when airlines fitted every division of their business with the best money could buy.
There you have it. The team’s first dispatch. Expect more and subscribe! 🚒