Duly Noted 021

Saying "goodbye" to Donohue's, getting on the Nowhere Fast pod, Patagonia vs. Pattie Gonia, Auttaa Inksblack shoes, parting shot.

Jun 18, 2026

A weekly edit of style observations, product obsessions, internet wanderings, and the latest happenings from the world of Mensweird.

The Last Days Of Donohue’s

Tomorrow, one of my all-time favorite NYC spots is closing: Donohue’s. With an interior straight out of a “Mad Men” scene, the restaurant is a time capsule to a very different dining era, one blessedly free of TikTok tourists and foodie pretense. I went three times in the last few weeks to get my final fill of overpriced mozzarella sticks and the famous double pour cocktails, some of which fueled a eulogy I wrote for Michael Williams’ The Old Ghosts. The thought of it going dark genuinely saddens me but I may have nicked one of the cocktail glasses as a wistful reminder of the place.

Nowhere Fast Podcast

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to Wesley O'Driscoll from Nowhere Fast about becoming a writer, my celeb interviewer era, the forgotten menswear site that gave me my start, how parenthood liberated me, and much more. Give it a listen.

Patagonia’s Drag Queen Fight

While Patagonia is known for not shying away from litigation, it’s usually done in service of its ecological agenda. However, this time the outdoor retailer has set its sights on an unlikely target: a drag queen. The brand is suing drag queen and climate activist Pattie Gonia, whose government name is Wyn Wiley, for $1 due to alleged copyright infringement. Apparently the issue is not Wiley’s chosen moniker but the fact that she began “selling clothing and products under the ‘Pattie Gonia’ name,” which Patagonia says confuses customers. Pattie Gonia then struck back on social media, accusing the company of “trying to erase an activist.” The two sides appear to be making some progress towards an agreement but even if Patagonia prevails it may end up becoming another reputational hit for the once unimpeachable brand.

Auttaa Inksblack Shoes

Thanks to a recent back-and-forth with Mariano Leonczik, I’m convinced that these slip-ons by Japanese brand Auttaa will heal me, or at least be the answer to my summer leather footwear conundrum (the conundrum being, what to wear when you don’t want to wear loafers or anything boat shoe-adjacent). The only problem is that Auttaa doesn’t seem to have many—any?—stocklists outside of Japan and WorldShopping appears to be a nightmare, at least according to Reddit. I might have to finally go the proxy route, so drop in the comments if you have any suggestions.