Social Primer Brooks Brothers Tailgate Tour in Atlanta

This Thursday, November 10th, Cooper Ray of the blog Social Primer will be hosting a tailgate tour stop at the Brooks Brothers store in Lenox Mall. I will be there, along with JRS from Red Clay Soul, Caroline of Back Down South, and the guys from The Trot Line. There will be food, cocktails, and beach music by the legendary Atlanta motown band, The Tams. Cooper will be here in support of his bow tie line with Brooks Brothers, and will be unveiling a new, limited edition clothing item with Brooks (he's told me about it, and I think you're going to like it). The event will run from 6:00 and 8:00, so there's really no reason to not swing by after work and grab a free drink or two. The invite is below.

If you think you're going to be able to make it, please do RSVP to georgia@hwpr.com. And be sure to wear a bow tie. Hope to see you there.

"The Resurgence of Style; How Did We Get Here?"

Admittedly, I don't often read Chris Hogan's (well-done) blog Off the Cuff. However, I came across his post "The Resurgence of Style; How Did We Get Here?" a couple of weeks ago and I think he does a great job of explaining the resurgence of menswear in recent years and its progression from the blogosphere and menswear forums to everyday life. Ladies, do you want to know why your guy suddenly knows how to tie a bow tie and is willing to drop even more money on a pair of jeans than you? Check out the article. I think it will enlighten you.

Alec Newbury: Sartorial Hero

I'm a sucker for Brat Pack and John Hughes movies, but one of my favorites is St. Elmo's Fire. Although Emilio Estevez's character is a super-creeper, and Rob Lowe's character is just weird, Judd Nelson's character, Alec Newbury, is an icon of 80s Georgetown preppy style. He's a guy who favors contrast spread collars, club ties, wearing his jacket collar popped, and has unbelievable, gravity-defying "rich people" hair. Below are some screenshots from the movie for your viewing pleasure.

A nice chalk-stripe suit to begin the movie.

Suspenders and contrast collar, natch.

Tweed jacket, collar-popped, cruising Georgetown in a Jeep.


Notice the ticket pocket.

Side vents are a nice touch.

Jeans, loafers, and a toggle coat for a midnight rescue mission of your coked-up friend, Demi Moore.

Nice combo with the double-breasted jacket.

Not sure what happened to the sweater vest...

Alec Newbury only fights dudes while wearing a coat and tie. And pocket square.

Still drunk in the morning? Pop the collar on your double-breasted jacket, smoke a cig, and grab a tall boy.

Hair still looks great.

Girlfriend just break up with you? No need to look like a complete slob while hanging out in the loft.

Notice the oxford cloth button down is a Polo.

Toggle coat on top of the tweed jacket is a great combo.



Nice looking tartan scarf.

And some random Georgetown preppies at the bar, for good measure.

Can't get enough of Judd Nelson wearing preppy clothes? See my old post about Making the Grade for more pictures.

The Milk Carton Kids

Back in June I went to see a Joe Purdy play a concert here in Atlanta. Opening for him was some band named The Milk Carton Kids. They were an opener band, I'd never heard of them, and their name was kind of weird, so I wasn't really that interested. However, I ended up watching them and really enjoyed it.

The band is made up of just two guys, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, who I would describe as a West coast Simon & Garfunkle. They both play acoustic guitar and both sing. And while their music is very good, their shows involve more than a bit of banter which is quite entertaining. Last week they played at Eddie's Attic in Decatur and I went with a friend to see them play. The show was really good and was a steal for only $10 a ticket. If they make a stop in your town at some point in the future, I would highly recommend going to check them out.

They have two albums right now and, awesomely, both are available to download for free on their website. Below is a video for their song "Permanent," which may be my favorite song on either album.

Sperry Topsider Authentic Originals for J Crew

A couple of years ago I was at a thrift store in Decatur, perusing their wares, and came across a pair of Sperry Topsider Authentic Originals. They appeared to be nearly unworn, and were my size, so I picked them up. You can see a picture of them above, from a previous blog post.

In comparing them Sperry's current offerings, it was clear that they were not a style that was currently available. They were most similar to the Sahara color that was being offered, but, in my opinion, there was something about them that made them superior. Maybe it's the gold eyelets or maybe it's the fact that the leather develops a great patina, but I love those shoes and have worn the heck out of them (I wore them today, in fact). I've always hoped that Sperry would release them again, but so far, I've been out of luck.

Although I rarely shop at J Crew nowadays, I was looking at their website the other day and, lo and behold, the Holy Grail Topsiders were on there. I looked over the details and am convinced that it's the same shoe (except, at William noted in the comments, mine have two eyelets and the J Crew ones have three eyelets). The only problem is that, like everything at J Crew now, they're overpriced at $110. Is $110 too much to spend on a pair of Topsiders? Probably. However, these really are great, and so versatile, and I would recommend biting the bullet and picking up a pair. I don't think you'll regret it.

"Made Right Here"

I met Max Wastler and Joe Gannon a couple of years ago in Nashville.

I had gone up to Murfreesboro for my cousin's college graduation and, being a follower of Max's blog All Plaidout, I saw on Twitter that he was up in Nashville that day. I sent him a DM and ended up meeting up with him for margaritas that night. With him was Joe Gannon, singer Matt Wertz, Matt Springer (@baconkisses on Twitter), and a couple of other guys. Although Max and I had exchanged some emails before, it was great finally getting to meet him face-to-face. Joe was also a great guy and super friendly. It was fairly serendipitous evening, and I'm glad that I got to meet both of them, though I'm constantly in awe of their enviable mustaches.

In addition to the online store that they recently opened (Buckshot Sonny's), Max and Joe just finished a trailer for a show that they're trying to pitch called "Made Right Here." In the trailer, Max and Joe visit several shops around Tennessee and try their hand at some good ol' American manufacturing. It's entertaining and also interesting to get to see the inside operations at iconic places like Pointer Brand and Imogene + Willie. Matt Springer, mentioned above, it also a part of the production team. If you've got a few minutes, give it a look.

"Made Right Here" pitch spot from RICK PAGE on Vimeo.

The Old Try

About a month ago I got an email from a guy named Micah Whitson. He and his wife, Marianna, both Southerners by birth, moved to Boston five years ago.

Not too long ago, in an attempt to bring a touch of the South to the (sometimes) frigid land north of the Mason Dixon, they started a company called Old Try and started creating prints on an old letterpress machine. Each one is designed by them, printed in runs of 100 on cotton paper, and distinctly Southern. Check out some of their current offerings below.






I'm not really much of an "art guy." However, these really appealed to me, and for only $40 a piece, they appealed to my wallet. I ended up ordering three from them. I got the Georgia state flag, City of Atlanta, and New/Old South ones.


I asked Micah about plans for any upcoming prints. He said that his wife told him that they had to sell 100 prints before they would do another one, but that he has a notebook full of ideas. I asked him if he'd be willing to share some potential ideas and he sent me the following photos, which include a preview of the upcoming Virginia print.



He also sent me a photo of the desk where he does his sketches. He had this to say about it: "Marianna's grandfather, a lawyer in Wilmington, NC, who turns 90 in a month who still goes into the office, made it with his hands and a few tools. I think it was more hands than anything. He's a pretty amazing character."

If you're from the South (or even if you're a Yankee), I've got a feeling you can find something you'd like on their page. Go check them out and order a print or two...or three.

DIY Ginger Beer

Back in May I wrote about how I made my own lime cordial for making gimlets. I mentioned how I found the recipe on the New York Times Magazine website, and while reading some of that author's archives, I came across his recipe for ginger beer. It can be found in his article entitled "Case Study: Cloudy with a Chance of Ginger."

Now, I have never been a huge ginger fan, though I do like ginger ale. The Dark & Stormy is always a popular summer drink, and having tried it with some store-bought ginger beer, I was not really impressed. However, I decided that maybe if I could make my own, I would like it better. So, I followed the author's recipe and gave it a shot.

It's really a pretty simple recipe. It involves grating ginger, juicing a couple of lemons, and making some simple syrup. All of these ingredients are combined, along with some yeast and filtered water, in a bottle, and put in a dark place to ferment. All of the amounts can be adjusted to your individual taste, so that it you'd like it a little sweeter or spicier, or a little less sweet or spicy, you can change it.

I originally had a bit of a problem in that it seems that the yeast didn't properly ferment the first time. After a couple of days I mixed up a little more yeast, this time letting in bloom in a bit of warm water before adding it to the bottle. It's important to keep an eye on the bottle for a few days in that the CO2 generated by the yeast will eventually cause the bottle to swell. If left unmonitored, it could burst, but this shouldn't be a huge problem.

After letting it ferment for a good 24 hours, I put it in the fridge to stop the fermentation process and, after straining it, moved it to a glass bottle. It ends up being slightly carbonated, which is nice. I mixed it with some dark rum, a squeeze of fresh lime, and the resulting drink was delicious. If you're a fan of ginger, or of Dark & Stormies, I'd highly recommend giving this one a shot.

Buffalo & Company leather koozies and sunglass straps

Buffalo & Company has quietly been getting press on various blogs, including Red Clay Soul, primarily for their t-shirts. While some of their t-shirts are pretty interesting, since I don't wear t-shirts, I haven't really paid much attention to them. However, the other day I came across two of their products that really caught my attention.

The first is their leather koozie. I've never seen anything like it, but it really makes a lot of sense. The leather would certainly keep your hand warm (though I can't comment as to how well it would keep your drink cold), but it's sure to pick up a great patina over time. It's available in two colors, Dark Walnut and Tobacco, and both are stamped with Buffalo & Company's logo.


At $30, the price is a bit steep and they're definitely one you want to keep your eye on. However, they would make great gifts, especially for people who already have a big koozie collection.

Similarly, Buffalo & Company also offers leather sunglass straps. These are something I've really never seen before. I'm not actually sure how practical they'd be in that they maybe get annoying to wear on the neck after a while and they may not be great for constant exposure to water (especially salt water). However, they really are unique and, again, might make a great gift for someone.