#self edge

Everyone has their go to piece of clothing they like to wear. For Me it’s a little bit more than just a regular old black denim jacket.

With anything, the longer I wear it the more you start to see the inner details of the craftsmanship that went into making this jacket. The distress (fades) show the indigo jacket underneath the black dye and how well this holds up to how hard I’ve truly worn this piece. It goes with me everywhere I live in it. I Can think of the endless amounts of stories I have wearing this jacket. And while I don’t normally let the clothes own me like a lot of other people who are too scared to wear their luxury goods I live in this jacket.

I picked this up in February of 2022 from a friend online and it was barely worn, at the time I had been looking for this jacket for over 2 1/2 years and I finally found the exact one to a T and even in my size. I wouldn’t care much about the specifics but since this jacket was discontinued and will not be reproduced I wanted it and I got it for a very good price. Since then it’s gone everywhere with me.

Quick photo dump of photos I took for grailed.

Eternal 811 sufu contest edition

Currently contemplating washing the IHBB01-od so I can get them hemmed @ railcar.  

Jackets for Shoulder Seasons

Back when he was still writing, Will Boehlke of A Suitable Wardrobe used to talk about “shoulder seasons” -- those weeks between late winter and early spring, as well as late summer and early fall, when it’s difficult to find anything to wear. When seasons start to transition, the weather can be too warm for chunky knitwear and dense tweeds, but also too cool for madras and loosely woven linens. The trick is to find something lightweight, but insulating, and neither places you here nor there in terms of seasonal style. 

The weather here in the Bay Area is a little cooler at the moment than the rest of the country, but if you find yourself getting through days in the mid-60s to low-70s at some point, here’s what I’ve found useful:

Tailoring

Suits and sport coats will depend on mid-weight materials, what people in the tailoring trade call 12/ 13 oz fabrics. For those shopping in stores, it can be difficult to gauge the weight of a material without some experience flipping through fabric books, but the point is to choose something that feels comfortable. That’s the most important test anyway. 

For me, a staple this time of year is often described as “faux tweeds,” which is a worsted wool carrying the color and pattern of traditional tweeds, but without any of the bulk. The cloth works wonderfully for sport coats. Get them in earthy colors, such as brown and tan, and you can wear them with trousers in flannel, tropical wool, or cotton. 

Wool gabardine can also be nice for suits, especially in how it drapes and performs. As a twill, it’ll keep you warm in mild temperatures without making you overheat. I like the material in more casual colors, such as tan, although the fabric is silky enough that you’ll want to keep this only to suits.

For late summer, dense linens can be nice for suits designed to be worn as separates. Irish mills are usually better at producing these heavier fabrics than the Italians, who by contrast mostly specialize in loosely woven linens. And if you’re itching to wear tweeds once temperatures cool, try a mid-weight Harris. I find them more manageable than the denser, heavier stuff. 

Perhaps my favorite: silk-linen or wool-silk-linen blends. These combine the best characteristics of each fiber -- the drape of wool, the strength of silk, and the breathability of linen. With these sorts of mixes, mills can also create more interesting textures, such as what you see above. They’re wonderful materials for casual jackets, especially if you’re able to find one with details such as patch pockets. If you’re daring, you could also get them as suits. 

Casualwear

Casualwear can be a little trickier, but the good news is that casual jackets aren’t as tied to seasonal styles as tailored clothing. Whereas madras should only be worn in the spring and summer months, casual jackets can be worn year round so long as they’re comfortable. 

For guys with classic sensibilities, field jackets, safari jackets, and denim truckers can all be great this time of year. Like Pete, I often throw an olive green field jacket over a simple shirt and jeans combo when I’m on the go. Of all the ones I’ve bought from niche fashion brands, my favorite is still something I got from Ralph Lauren. The company has been making them for decades -- they know how do them well. Mine looks like this. 

Safari jackets are a bit harder to find, although The Armoury and Private White VC have some nice ones in a range of materials. Denim truckers are also available at shops such as Levi’s, 3sixteen, and Self Edge. For something more affordable, you can find Levi’s trucker jackets second-hand for about $50 (much like army surplus coats). The nice thing about vintage is that the jackets come with a broken-in look that’s hard to achieve when you’re a cubicle farmer. 

Many of these more basic styles often do better when you create a point of interest somewhere else in your outfit-- maybe an interesting shirt, a great pair of boots, or some sort of unusual combination. Phill Kim wears his trucker jacket here with black jeans and a cowboy hat. Hooman Majd is pictured above teaming a safari jacket with a nautical striped shirt. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little. 

I’ll also take any excuse to wear a leather jacket these days. Some of my favorites include Enrico Mandelli bombers, Margiela five-zips, Valstarinos, Saint Laurent’s Harrington (and old season model), and Stoffa’s flight jackets. The key is to find something lightweight and minimally lined (Stoffa’s are especially good for this). Suede shows its age more easily, but it’s a wonderfully charming material. For something that’ll hold up a bit better to wear and tear, stick to calfskin, goatskin, or lambskin (the last being the most delicate of the three). 

Lastly, one of my favorite jackets this past year is a simple French chore coat I bought from Norton & Sons (it’s an older collaboration piece they did with Barbour). You can find similar pieces from companies such as Vetra, Arpenteur, Le Laboureur, Carrier Company, and Old Town. And while I love my Norton & Sons coat, the best ones in this category are again vintage. They just have tremendous character, which makes the simple design much more compelling. You can search for them on eBay and Etsy. Just don’t fuss too much over the fit -- they look best when they’re a bit loose and off-kilter. See here for some style inspiration. 

Read the strip in big size at Put This On.

Self Edge Warehouse Sale

Kings of denim and workwear, Self Edge, just put up their online warehouse sale. The selection is small, but the discounts go considerably deeper than the store’s usual 10% to 15% off promotions (which happen once or twice a year). These warehouse sales have become a way for Self Edge to clear out old-season stock, but unlike stores such as Mr. Porter, the pieces still feel current. You can find a lot of the specialized, mostly Japanese-made, denim and rockabilly gear Self Edge has built its reputation on. Some favorites from the sale:

Monitaly Field Shell ($200): A reversible, military style jacket made from brown cotton flannel on one side and olive green Vancloth on the other. Like Ventile, Vancloth is a tightly woven poplin where the fibers swell up when they get wet, closing up the pores and preventing any moisture from leaking through. That makes the fabric appreciably water resistant, while not being as stiff or noisy as technical cloths. 

Star of Hollywood Atomic Shirt ($160): Star of Hollywood is an old 1950s brand known for its outlandish rockabilly, atomic, and Aloha style shirts. Their styles have become popular among guys who like a retro look, but they can also be hard to find. Toyo Enterprises in Japan, however, has licensed the name and brought back some of their favorite pieces. I like the idea of this shirt with a black leather jacket and black jeans. 

3sixteen 711BSP Jeans ($185): Speaking of black jeans, this straight leg, medium rise design from 3sixteen looks great. These are made from unsanforized denim, however, so they’ll shrink more than usual. Pay attention to the sizing charts.  

Sugar Cane 3/4th Sleeve Workshirt ($105): A gauzy, highly breathable workshirt so you can stay looking great when it’s hot outside. Which, apparently, now includes October. 

Stevenson Short Sleeved Sweatshirt ($145): I know short-sleeved sweatshirts sound strange, but I saw this on Kiya at Self Edge recently and it looks great. Wear it with denim, rugged chinos, or even cargo pants. From measurements, I’d consider sizing up. 

A Darker Blue Shirt is Your Answer to Everything

We’ve written before about how your shirt wardrobe should revolve around basic whites and light blues. And how you can wear white dress shirts in smarter ways. Last week, we also had a post about ecru button-ups, which sit somewhere between these two worlds. 

Many times, however, your answer to almost any wardrobe question is: wear a slightly darker blue shirt.

Want to dress down a tailored outfit? Darker blue shirts distinguish themselves from your usual button-ups in that they’re more casual. They go great with navy sport coats and gray wool trousers, keeping things relaxed without crossing over into novelty. With a tobacco linen summer suit, they feel appropriately dressed down. In a sturdy material such as denim or chambray, they’re also natural accompaniments rustic tweeds and corduroys. Ralph Lauren himself has made wearing a washed denim shirt with tweeds almost a style signature. 

Want to wear a light colored sport coat? Most outfits involving sport coats rely on the same formula -- dark jacket, light shirt, dark tie, and contrasting trousers. Lighter colored jackets, in this sense, can be a good way to make tailoring look more modern, but you often need something that centers the eye. A darker blue shirt here can be a great way to anchor a non-traditional color combination, visually bringing everything together like a navy necktie. See how Alan from The Armoury and Jack Nicholas are wearing theirs above. 

Want something casual, but hate business casual? Mid-blue chambray and denim shirts have been cornerstones of classic American sportswear forever. For a simple, casual look, they can be worn on their own with chinos or jeans in a way that’ll look better than your standard poplins or even oxford cloths (pair one with a chunky shawl collar cardigan, like you see below, once the weather turns cold). A dark blue shirt can be worn with lighter blue French chore coats and old blue jeans, creating a tonal outfit. I also like how Visvim designer Hiroki Nakamura wears his above with a white t-shirt and olive field jacket. If you get something in a heavier, thicker material, you can also use it a mid-layer. 

Like with anything, getting the right shirt is about the details. Heavier shirts will naturally feel more rugged, making them easier to pair with casualwear. A dressier fabric, on the other hand, might be better suited to tailored clothing than a pea coat. Similarly, cleaner, single-needle seams will look dressier than things that have been put through a wash. Check the seams to see there’s any puckering. The more textured and detailed the shirt, the more informal it’ll look. Details such as chest pockets, Western yokes, puckered seams, and plackets all push shirts towards the casual end of the spectrum. 

That said, don’t be afraid of some contrast. I really like Proper Cloth’s washed denim shirts precisely because the puckered edges make my sport coats look more casual. In his video feature at Hodiknee, John Goldberger paired a snap button Western shirt with checked tweed jacket (that video is awesome, if you haven’t already watched it). 

Some options this season: If you know you’ll only wear this with tailored clothing, start with slightly dressier options. Something like these finer plain weaves at The Armoury, Ralph Lauren, Wolf vs. Goat, and Drake’s will look better with a soft shouldered sport coat than the heavier options at RRL. Similarly, I really like the slubby Japanese fabrics at our advertiser Proper Cloth. They start off kind of scratchy, but they soften with wear (I use mine with light colored, summer sport coats). Michael Spencer also has a nice mid-blue in end-on-end, which is a kind of plain weave with a  subtle cross-hatching of yarns, giving the shirt some visual depth. At the moment, they’re having a promotion where you can get a second shirt for $40 off with any full-priced purchase. 

Alternatively, you can also go with a pique cotton button-up, which is something like the halfway point between a dress shirt and polo. Our advertiser Twillory calls these their “Friday shirts” given how well they work in casual offices. They have one in a nice mid-shade of blue. So does G. Inglese. 

For something more distinctively casual, there’s J. Crew, Club Monaco, Freeman’s Sporting Club, Ddugoff, and my favorite budget-friendly option, Wrangler. You may also want to check specialty workwear shops such as Unionmade, Standard & Strange, Superdenim, Self Edge, and The Bureau Belfast. Given how much those guys love indigo, they often carry blue shirts in every hue imaginable. 

Self Edge Sale This Weekend

Denim purveyor Self Edge has some of the worst sales, but also some of the best inventory. Which means even though their sales never go deeper than 15% to 17% off, I still always stop by to pick something up. 

This weekend, they’re holding their end-of-summer sales event. Take 15% off everything in-store or online with the checkout code SUMMERSEVENTEEN. The sale starts tomorrow, 9am PST on Friday, September 1st. It’ll end at 9am PST on Tuesday, September 5th. 

The only exclusions are hems and repairs, as well as magazines and books. Everything else, however, is included. 

Some things I particularly like from the store:

Tons and Tons of Jeans: Self Edge’s specialty. 3sixteen’s straight-leg fit is one of my all-time favorites, and it now comes in a special unsanforized version of their signature denim (I size up one from my regular waist size). Stevenson Overall Co comes with really nice details, such as single needle stitching and handsewn bar tacks. Mine have faded to a nice mid-blue color with a green cast. Flat Head is also known for their heavy contrast fades. 

Flat Head Flannel Shirts: Some of these can get crazy thick, but they’re also super cozy. Look for ones that have been brushed on the inside. I like them with jeans and work boots on easy-going weekends. 

Self Edge x John Lofgren Sneakers: I know, $265 for what essentially looks like Chuck Taylors sounds crazy (and it is). But with the current sale and discount code, you could nab these for about $150. Still pricey, but the made-in-Japan construction and retro-detailing make these feel like a step up from your regular Converse. 

Nine Lives: A new Japanese brand that I like. Mixes classic workwear with a bit of contemporary design, but in a way that still feels rugged. I especially like their leather and sashiko double riders. 

Lady White Co. Tees: Some of the best t-shirts I’ve found anywhere. Made by a former employee at Rising Sun, a premiere denim and workwear store in Los Angeles (and one of the first interviews we did for our online webseries). The ones with chest pockets were inspired by the pocket design you see on Brown’s Beach jackets. Many people go true-to-size for these, but I find they fit really trim, so I went a size up. 

Lots of Cool Jewelry: Including sterling silver pieces made by Native American artists. I wear this bracelet with workwear outfits.