Every six months or so, our friends at Oak Street Bootmakers create a few pieces of limited-edition footwear exclusively for us. Below you’ll see our collection for spring, available only at Trunk Club.
We’re big fans of Oak Street Bootmakers for a lot of reasons:
At Trunk Club, we believe that guys should avoid jewelry unless they’re married or enjoy telling time. On that latter point, watches might be unnecessary in the age of the smartphone, but they still go a long way in expressing a guy’s personality. For proof, look no further than the Jack Spade Conway 38 mm watch.
As we recently told Valet magazine when talking about our top clothing picks for Memorial Day weekend, we like the military-inspired Conway because it’s stylish yet rugged. Of course, it also helps that Jack Spade chose Trunk Club as one of only three places in the entire U.S. to carry the watch.
The Kentucky Derby takes place tomorrow at Churchill Downs, and parks all over the U.S. will host Derby-related events to start their seasons. Nearer to Trunk Club HQ, jockeys will be in their saddles as early as tonight when Arlington Park opens. Track season, we’re pleased to announce, is officially here. It’s time to break out the seersucker, bow ties, and boisterous trousers to celebrate the Sport of Kings.
Whether you’re looking for a few tips for tomorrow’s Derby outfit, or you plan to take a date to the tracks later this season (a move that we wholeheartedly support, as explained below), here are our thoughts on dressing for success while watching the ponies.
The Statement Piece
We recently talked about why Eton shirts rank among the most popular items in our inventory. With spring finally here, we’re keeping the theme going, with an eye toward the ideal shirt for warm weather.
Last year we asked our friends at Culturata if they could make the world’s best oxford shirt. We got our answer, loud and clear, when the new Trunk Club–exclusive Culturata oxfords arrived at our HQ.
To understand how Culturata perfected this spring-and-summer wardrobe staple, we got on the phone with the company’s owner, Jacques Haggiag, who shared the following thoughts:
This week we received a visit from Erik Wilkinson, who works at Eton as Director of Sales, North America. Eton is the 85-year-old Swedish shirtmaking company that creates some of the most popular items in our inventory.
During his visit, Erik gave a presentation to our stylists on what makes Eton superior, from the 14 stitches per centimeter—thus the shirt’s incredible longevity and superior performance—to the fact that Eton offers the only naturally wrinkle-resistant shirt on earth. (Erik says, “There’s more chemicals in a fresh cup of British tea than an Eton shirt.”)
After his presentation, which appropriately enough came one day after Earth Day, we caught up with Erik for the following chat:
With your intense travel schedule, what items do you always make sure to pack?
We’ve recently shipped a lot of travel-themed trunks to guys attending seasonal events (e.g. Kentucky Derby, Coachella, SXSW), but requests for Vegas trunks roll in all year long. This week we asked some of our stylists to give us their top picks for Vegas-ready clothing, along with notes on what makes each item special.
The specific contents of your own Vegas trunk might vary—depending on your conversation with your stylist—but here are our general suggestions for what to wear when visiting Sin City.
Lightweight blazer and linen shirt
Laura recommends the blazer pictured below because, she says, “It’s the perfect weight for the desert heat, fits amazing, and looks great over any shirt.”
Now that we’ve finished our series on the Six Men’s Clothing Essentials, we thought we’d share a few of the non-clothing-related skills that we consider essential for guys to know. First up: how to order wine.
We recently visited with Shawn Patrick Harris, who works as wine steward at Nellcôte, the much talked-about restaurant on bustling West Randolph Street in Chicago.
Trunk Club is known for investment-level clothing, but it’s possible to invest in your wardrobe without spending a fortune. For a case in point, check out the four warm-weather classics listed below. Not only will these pieces look great for years to come, but each one comes in at $100 or less.
V-Neck Sweater
Last week a Trunk Club member emailed his stylist, asking:
Neckties with oxford shirts: yea or nay?
According to prevailing fashion rules, the answer would most likely be “nay.” Oxford shirts, the thinking goes, are generally considered casual, while neckties fit into the “formal / dress” category. The thing is, we don’t particularly care about fashion rules. (We’re the people who advocate wearing white pants all year round, after all.)
Instead of hard-and-fast rules, we prefer general guidelines for dressing well. Here’s our thinking around oxford shirts and ties: As long as the two items share a similar texture, we vote “yea.”
Yesterday we introduced five of our favorite things about spring, including booze, bold colors, and free money. But our enthusiasm for the new season can’t be contained in just one post, so here’s a sixth item for the list.
If you had to pick one—and only one—belt for your wardrobe, we would suggest a brown leather belt, to match shoes of the same color. Luckily, you’ll never have to face such a cruel decision, as belts of all varieties abound.
Now that spring is finally here, a lot of guys at Trunk Club reserve leather belts for more formal occasions. The rest of the time, it’s all about casual alternatives.
Spring belts—such as the ribbon, woven, and braided varieties shown above—introduce seasonal color and nicely complement warm-weather staples like chinos and gingham shirts. (Bonus: They also keep your pants from falling down.)
For the following outfit, a leather belt probably wouldn’t be the best choice. A woven blue option, however, ties everything together perfectly.
