I humbly beseech you
This weather makes me want to take a flight to Vancouver to window shop. So does today’s outfit. Much more practical for the rain.
The Take Me Up North outfit
LeSportsac shiny crossbody
While temporarily residing in Seattle, I went on a deep eBay kick to cope with quarantine. Apart from the J.Brand leather trucker jacket, this bag is my most-used buy from that eBay epoch. Extensively used for travel with the Prada Brique bag, it’s super functional for carrying my umbrella, scarf, or even the Brique itself (this bag would earn its stripes during rainy rainy days in Belgium).
H&M green hat
Striped fingerless gloves
A new pet peeve of mine: When guys refer to one color as a “colorway” (e.g., “I copped this new hat in a green colorway.”). "Colorway” refers to a combination of colors. If it’s one color, just say color. I humbly beseech you. <end PSA>
Backstreet Boys 2017 Las Vegas tee
My friend GTA, a New York music nerd with roots in punk and hip hop, told me how he grudgingly took his kid sister to a BSB concert for her birthday. “It was the greatest show I’ve ever seen.” I’m fairly certain those were his exact words. I believed him - Backstreet delivered the greatest boy band single of all time, after all. But I became a true believer when I saw them from the VIP section of their Las Vegas residency (a corporate gift for the Marketing team).
The day after the show, I wore this shirt while walking through Encore. A group of gym bros came up to me, pointing at my shirt. “Is the show worth checking out?” they asked. I raised my hands, eyes closed, and didn’t speak for a full 5 seconds before I replied “GO. TONIGHT. OHMYGOD.”
Amsterdam shawl
I bought this from a kilo shop for roughly $10 during my first Amsterdam trip with a new company. It’s a lot of fabric, which makes wearing this as a scarf a tad excessive. But as a shawl, to conceal your Backstreet Boys tee while out to brunch, it’s tastefully graphic.
Johnson Leathers chevron jacket
The back yoke was inspired by the chevron seams at the front, which were inspired by vintage leather jackets seen in Tokyo. But the other day, I realized the same inverted yoke is also on the back of my green Needles cardigan.
Converse Gore-Tex Chucks
Frequent trips to cold climes during winter required finding shoes that kept my feet warm, dry, and comfortable, without looking like snow boots. These Chucks, while a tad dull-looking, are extraordinary. Fleece lined with a cushy, almost springheeled footbed, it’s hermetically sealed (hail Hermes) to keep out cold air and water. I’ve worn these in slushy snow, torrential rain, and frigid conditions in Canada and Europe, and wouldn’t have all ten toes without them. The toasty sensation!
Plus, they allow my pants to stack perfectly over them. Best $100 spent.