Style & Grooming

Why It's Finally Time to Consider the Straight Razor

Credit: Beornbjorn / Getty Images December 1. It's the day many have been dreading for a full month now, when at the end of No Shave November, grown men around the world get rid of their unkempt beards and mustaches and go clean for the sake of charity and maybe, often, their relationships. So with the return of a shaving routine on the horizon, it might be time to reevaluate the way you’ve been removing hair from your face all these years. It might finally be time to consider the straight razor. Because the shining blade you associate with your…

Cyber Monday's Best Deals

Employees process customer orders ahead of shipping at one of Amazon.com Inc.'s fulfillment centers. Credit: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg / Getty Images Most of us would rather wear a Members Only jacket and ass-less chaps to a job interview than brave Black Friday. Between the deadened glare of hourly employees and the above-average chances of being shanked over a pair of socks, shopping can probably be left to the other 364 days of the year. Thankfully, since it’s 2014 and the internet exists, you can avoid the worst parts of the mall (people, parking, pants) while still getting a great…

Spring 2014 Fashion Report

In the US it has been a long, brutal winter. In the Northeast, we’ve had snow since before Thanksgiving! March is upon us, and with it, hopefully, spring. With that hope firmly in the forefront, we are taking a look at what fashion forward men will be wearing when we finally pack away our parkas. The double-breasted blazer is the go-to for suits this spring. It’s been seen paired with flat-front slim cut pants that touch the top of the shoe. Some pants are cut tighter at the bottom and hit just above the shoe. No bunching at the ankle…

The Winter White Jeans

Style Like many of the most sought-after jeans in the world, each pair of Tellason's Ladbroke Grove jeans begins life in the Cone Mills plant in Greensboro, North Carolina. All Tellason jeans are raw and selvage-edge, meaning the denim is in its original dry, unprocessed state prior to purchase, and the fabric is produced on narrow shuttle looms. From the mill, the cloth goes to San Francisco (denim's homeland thanks to Levi's), where the raw stuff becomes the real deal thanks to durable threads, rivets, and a few leather patches. The true, deep indigo jeans stand out as the most…

A Tablet Case With Personality

MJ Approved: Style When it comes to trucking around personal tech, your choices include all-purpose bags, classic canvas totes, handsome leather briefcases, and street-smart commuter bags. But most brands overlook the fact that we don't always want to carry around a bag. Sometimes we just want to schlep along one computer or a tablet. Winter Session, the Denver-based workshop founded by husband and wife duo Roy Katz and Tanya Fleisher, makes thoughtfully designed, durable goods that are handcrafted using domestically sourced, environmentally responsible materials. Among the new winter wares, including a waxed canvas Day Pack and leather-handled Day Bag, we…

The Surfer's Winter Fleece

MJ Approved: Style There are many great fleece jackets out there, but the Warm Up Fleece from Brooklyn-based brand Battenwear stands out. Designer Shinya Hasegawa, who previously worked at Woolrich Woolen Mills, takes his inspiration from late-sixties to early-eighties surf and outdoor culture. As a year-round East Coast surfer, Hasegawa is focused on creating warm clothes he can wear to the beach and on the train out to Montauk. Battenwear's fleece hits all the marks, taking the requisite materials (dense polyester fleece and cloth snap pocket) and combining them into a sportier new form. This jacket takes cues from old…

A More Stylish Knit Cap

MJ Approved: Style If there's one surefire way to keep from freezing your head off this winter, it's with a snug beanie. But finding one that keeps your ears warm while pulling your outfit together is not easy. Look no further than J.Press's knit caps, classic hats that you could wear out sledding or on your way to the office. J.Press knit caps are simple and straightforward with no embellishments, pretentious designs, or, worse, fuzzy pom poms. Warm and soft, the beanies are made with 100 percent wool in a variety of knits and colors. The Fair Isle-inspired styles can…

How to Look Great at a Formal Holiday Party

MJ Approved: Style Courtesy SuitSupply The key to making your regular tuxedo into a holiday party tuxedo is putting part of it back on the hanger. Regardless of whether you've got a two- or three-piece, ditch the pants or jacket, whichever one fits more loosely. Now, look at the rest of your closet. Do you own a smoking jacket? Tartan slacks? A velvet bowtie? The answer is probably "no" or "of course not," but Nish de Gruiter, the well-dressed vice president of Suitsupply, makes a compelling case for splashing out on a bit of seasonal flash. "Mixing and matching creatively…

Christmas Sweaters You Can Wear After Christmas

MJ Approved: Style Jil Sander The holiday season is upon us, which means men will be taking out their ski gear, their credit cards, and that Christmas sweater they've worn to holiday parties for the last decade. There is no shame in rocking a cringe-worthy top with sentimental value or buying the ugliest dancing reindeer number you can find just for the hell of it, but it might be wiser to invest in a sweater you'll be able to wear after December 25. Fortunately, designers have your back. The sweater buyer's best friends this year are Jil Sanders and Band…

The Customizable Pocket Square

MJ Approved: Style Courtesy O'Harrow O'Harrow Clothiers, Claire Moseley's young Los Angeles-based brand, takes classic staples like pocket squares and button-down shirts and gives them a much needed tune-up. The company, which Moseley created after President Obama said, "I like your pocket square," during a brief encounter, shares both a reverence for tradition and a willingness to deviate from it with the commander in chief. "We aren't your grandfather's white hanky," says Moseley. "We use fabrics with nontraditional patterns and textures, which has yielded a new generation of pocket square." The brand's big innovation, in addition to sourcing unexpected materials…