Duly Noted 002
A menswear writer opens a cafe, a surprising new EG collab, the shorts of summer, and "The Handbook of Men's Style" event recap.
Welcome to Duly Noted, a weekly edit of style observations, product obsessions, internet wanderings, and the latest happenings from the world of Mensweird.
The Villager Cafe
Aaron Britt is the former men’s style columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, turned publisher of the Midcoast Villager in Camden, Maine, who recently helped open the newspaper’s first cafe (which also happens to have great merch). From his midcoast home, Britt talked to me about the new venture.
Given your background, I can’t help but see a connection to Ralph’s Coffee or Café Leon Dore. Any influence there?
”I don't think we can claim the thinking of those high fashion antecedents, but the idea is the same. How do we build and serve community? Which I think, unlike Ralph or ALD, a paper has a much stronger claim to providing a public good.”
How did you design it?
”The design inspiration for the cafe is really more about how we wanted it to feel. I looked at the mood boards and our creative director put together a bunch of inspiration, but the idea was like, this has to be a place where everybody feels comfortable. It can't be too fancy, nor can it be too divey. It has to feel like a place where the community can truly gather.”
What’s the state of menswear in Maine?
”Highly practical. I gave a talk a while ago and I joked that Maine style is like, you have to be prepared at any given moment to dig a potato.”
Ask The Ages
Also from Britt, and business partner Josh Builder, a new online shop with incense sourced from Japan and vintage accessories. “The big idea is that incense is an accelerant, a sort of on-ramp to experience,” he told me.
Engineered Garments x Allen Edmonds
Announced not in GQ or Highsnobiety but Footwear News, EG has teamed up with—get ready for this—Allen Edmonds. Based on Daiki Suzuki’s own pair, it appears to be a take on the Sun Valley Hiker. EG does love a strappy shoe, so no shocker there, even if the source material was a little surprising.
Big Rock Candy Mountaineering Shorts
Thanks to FOW (that would be, “Friend of ‘Weird”)
, I’ve been hawking these Doubleback Shorts in “vanilla bean.” After going all-in on baggy nylon pairs from ACG and Manastash these past few summers I’m ready for some “nice” shorts.Cad & The Dandy NYC Event Recap
Thanks to everyone who came out last week, despite the March-like weather. Had the pleasure of talking shop with some new faces and meeting legendary style writer G. Bruce Boyer! I’ll be doing it again in late June, details to follow (with paid subscribers being the first to know).
Big fan of the shorts! My thunder thighs have some wiggle room finally.