“All I want for Christmas” Part 5
Between being sick, vacation and technical difficulties, this week’s content has left something to be desired. It’s a week late, but here is the final installment of “All I want for Christmas.” Enjoy!
I’ve always had a bit of an unfair advantage at this time of year. Having a birthday just twenty days before Christmas (and a brother whose birthday is just few days before mine) means that December is just a long holiday month of good food and desserts and granted wish-lists. Seriously, even this year my brother and I, who share an apartment, ended up with such a surplus of birthday treats that I only had four meals that week which didn’t involve frosted carrot cupcakes. But, looking back twenty years ago, a Christmas wishlist of mine would have consisted of books and those four-digit inventory numbers for lego kits. Honestly, ten years ago it probably still would have. Go back just eight years ago, however, and J. Crew had already displaced Danish plastic from list of things that I wanted (to wit: http://iaatb.net/blog2/2003/12/25/its-chistmas/). This year is no different, really.
1. Take Ivy
Take Ivy is a 1965 photobook of men’s fashion at Ivy League schools, originally published for the Japanese market, and went on to inspire one of Tokyo’s many fashion fad subcultures. It received a reprint for the North American market in 2010, perfectly timed with the resurgence of classic styles that 1960s prep school boys lived day in, day out. This book is a time capsule of an era before the era of turmoil in youth culture that led to much greater equality in American University education, as well as a concomitant dearth of classiness on campus. You won’t see any hemp necklaces or tevas in this book, that’s for sure.
2. Crosley LP Case
Ever since my CD player broke, I’ve been using the wonderful hi-fi record player credenza I inherited from my grandmother. Attractive, functional furniture—entertainment-system hybrids like that just aren’t made any more. But, unlike some monster wall-engulfing home entertainment center, the credenza doesn’t have nearly endless media storage. As its one shelf is already overflowing with LPs, so I need something attractive to store my extra jazz records and Feist remix 10”s. This little case by Crosley fits the bill perfectly.
3. Flannel Lined Chinos, LL Bean
I live where we get a proper winter, and when it’s five degrees outside there really isn’t anything like a nice warm pair of flannel-lined pants: I can stay warm and not look ridiculous. I would have selected a pair of chinos from J. Crew, as they have a shorter rise than these L.L. Bean pants, but the model in the photo was wearing them with oxfords and no socks. I know it’s just a photo-shoot, but really, they’re flannel lined pants, no one in their right mind is ever going to be wearing these things without socks, so I just couldn’t recommend those on account of that oversight.
4. JCrew Camp Socks
And what a ridiculous oversight that is, especially considering what nice winter socks J. Crew has on offer this time of year. I have a thing for socks— striped socks, argyle socks, nice wool socks for cold galoshes — and Jenna Lyons does a good job satisfying my desires on this front. I actually have a couple pairs of these monkey-puppet colorway, but I wouldn’t mind another.
5. Everlane Reversible Bow Tie
Honestly I don’t really wear bow ties nearly as much as people think I do, but this little wonder very satisfies my desire for a little hidden color. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be sold on it being made from cotton and having straight, not scalloped, ends, but the hidden plaid and the $35 price point do it for me. It’s sold by Everlane, one of those members-only internet clothing stores
About the Author:
Ben Lamb is a Ph. D. Candidate in International Political Economy and a professional sandwich analyst. He keeps a style blog at http://iaatb.net/style and tweets about economic policy, technology news, and Leslie Feist at http://twitter.com/bennyfactor
