ATL Essentials: Mid Summer Edition

 Summer is in full swing, and has it been a hot one here in the northeastern United States.  I have been loving getting out there and enjoying summer as best as possible.  I decided to put together a short list of the things that I can't live without during the summer, and a short write up on each of them. 

Loafers, no socks.  This is my footwear of choice, although I occasionally go for sneakers or more formal options, loafers are the summer stand-by.  They go great with both pants and shorts and sockless is the only way to go.  I prefer the full strapped loafers, but penny loafers, driving shoes and many other variations work as well.

Seltzer.  I used to be a big soda drinker, pre paleo, but now I get my carbonation fix from seltzer water.  Zero calories, ice cold, and refreshing on a warm day.  Many people prefer the imported Pelligrino, but I really like Poland Springs, especially the lime and mandarin orange flavors.

Vineyard Vines neckwear.  Bright colors, summery motifs, these are my favorite summer ties.

Patagonia Standup shorts.  I am a pretty big Patagonia fan in general, and the stand up shorts are possibly my favorite item.  They are designed for climbing, with the big pockets, but I think they look great and the fabric is incredibly thick.

Leatherman Ltd Motif Belts.  Leatherman makes affordable belts and are a product of Connecticut!  I prefer the nautical, sport, or fishing patterns, these are great summer belts.

Tennis.  I have recently picked up playing the sport, as a result of my wife taking classes.  We both have improved dramatically, and it is really a great competitive past time for us now.

Fresh produce.  Summers in New England are the best time for us to get fresh produce.  Grocery stores, farm stands, and farmers markets are the places to pick it up.  I love tomatos and really prefer the locally grown heirloom varieties, so I make sure to get my fill while available!

Duffle Bag.  Duffle bags are essential for a weekend getaway to Cape Cod, Maine, the Hamptons, Narragansett or any of the other great summer getaway locations near by.  Luckily Red Clay Soul, a blog I really like, written by a guy out of Charleston, gave a great rundown on duffle bags recently, and I urge you to check it out!

Check out other ATL Essentials posts.

Red Clay Soul x Smather and Branson Belt Giveaway

Red Clay Soul is giving away a Smathers and Branson needlepoint belt.  These are the best belts out there, and they run a pretty penny to boot.  Red Clay Soul is a great blog written by a southern guy who has a great sense of style and taste. 

Act fast, because you must enter no later than midnight ET on Wednesday, February 15th.  The winner will be announced on Thursday around lunchtime, and will receive any in-stock, non-custom, non-monogrammed needlepoint belt!

Check out the contest here.

Last Minute Gift Idea

wow this is fuckin' awesome!

Bi-Monthly Belt Club

The Belt of the Month Club! Well not really, more like the belt of every other month club. Six times a year we will deliver a brand new belt to some lucky recipient. Starting with Christmas (Santa, Wreath or a Candy Cane), and then followed by Valentine’s Day (Big Red Heart), St Patrick’s Day (Shamrock), Memorial Day/4th Of July (American Flag), Halloween (Jack O Lantern) and Thanksgiving (Turkey). All are premium quality and hand made in Essex, Connecticut. Truly a present for the man who has everything.

Six Belts, individually delivered a week before each Holiday - $135.

Trad Shopping List

I guess my style can be somewhat "trad" at times, but even if I am not full-time blue blooded trad, I borrow from the style and am influenced by the styling and details tremendously. With that said, I have put together a list of trad items that are on my long term wants list. All of these items are high-quality and intended to last many years and are somewhat "fancy" to the uninitiated, which lines up quite nicely with my personal philosophy of only buying quality items and not caring what the general populace thinks. So without further ado I present my Trad Shopping List.

1) Alden or Allen Edmonds (MacNeil) or Florsheim Imperial (Kenmoor) Longwing Bluchers (referred to by trads as LWBs) respectively




2) Southwick Douglas, available either off the rack (OTR) or made to measure, (MTM) is a three button sack center vented with flap pocket coat, like the rest of this list, a classic.



3) Smathers and Branson Needlepoint Belt, these belts are so detailed, its amazing. Pictured here are two possibilities for me, the "Dark and Stormy" and "Beers on Black." These are available through O'Connell's of Buffalo, which happens to stock a number of other trad items as well if anyone is interested.



4) More oxford cloth button downs, If there was one item that defined the trad look it could very well be the OCBD. Two choices are the J.Press model, which can be had with button down pockets as well or O'Connell's delivers again with their Heavyweight OCBD.


5) Bill's Khakis go with your navy sack blazer, madras jacket or tweed jacket. I will go with the flat front variety as I avoid pleats on principle, the model is M1 which is based on World War 2 original chinos, always go with the classics when it comes to trad.


Of course a true trad wardrobe includes tweeds, a number of suits, repp stripe and regimental and knit ties, bowties, plaids, tattersalls, Bass Weejuns, Lacoste Polos and a million more things, these are just five pieces that I would like to borrow from "trad-dom" for my wardrobe, by no means an exhaustive list!