Issue #298 | A World Guide to the Best Vintage Menswear Shops

A World Guide to the Best Vintage Menswear Shops

Often the best vintage shop is the one in your neighborhood. Regular pop-ins let you keep a close eye on what’s “new,” and it’s usually a good hang when you get to know the operators. More objectively, the best secondhand purveyors in the world have built a name for themselves by homing in on a vibe, whether that’s vintage luxury like Cavalli e Nastri in Milan, or a tour through decades of fashion like Armstrongs Vintage in Edinburgh. Whether you’re stuck at home with the winter blues or ready to jet set right now, pop these shops on your short list for when it’s time to get outta town.

The Rake

These Earbuds Sound Like Turning on a Light

[Partner]  A pair of wired headphones are tough to beat—Bluetooth options often struggle to produce the same crisp, punchy audio. As the clearest, punchiest wireless earbuds on the market, Status 3ANC have finally closed the gap between Bluetooth and wired options. The musician-designed buds feature three speakers each (Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 have one, if we’re counting), have a battery life that lasts more than twice as long (hello flight delays), and come in at less than $200 for a set.

Hear the whole picture.

The Coolest Color You Can Wear in 2024

Every new year, trend forecasters make their best guesses as to what we’ll all be wearing for the next 12 months. Mostly, this is a chance for tastemakers to push aside everything that charted the year before and then make big claims about what’s to come to see how much sway they have. (Surprising no one, we’re willing to bet Sambas, Carhartt, and Birkenstocks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.) Blackbird Spyplane’s big idea for 2024? Drumroll please… the color yurple—translation: deep purple. Here’s why they think the earthy hue is coming for our wardrobes.

Blackbird Spyplane

Meet the Self-Taught Tailor Making Custom Suits in Rhode Island

Cottage industry is churning in Providence, it seems. “K-Zao, sandwiched between a kombucha brewery and a florist in a post-industrial strip of [the city], is not your typical bespoke maker,” says Robb Report of the custom suiting shop founded by 26-year-old Bao Vu. His studio operates as one might on Savile Row, with by-hand processes and the requisite fittings for customers to get the details just right. But that’s only part of why people place orders with the Gen Z-er, whose style, approach, and practice is completely self-taught.

Robb Report

J.Crew

If you aren’t completely gassed from the holidays, J.Crew is having a sale you shouldn’t sleep on. Up for grabs at far less than the going rate are merino wool quarter-zip sweaters, Ludlow topcoats to throw over chunky sweaters, nice cotton dress shirts to go with suiting (like this jacket in Scottish lambswool flannel), alpaca clogs from Stegman, and plenty of other gems if you’ve got just a few minutes to sift. Use code SHOPSALE and score.

Good style shouldn’t be a secret.

You’re clued in and looking tack sharp, thanks to Blazer. But that friend (or two) could stand to take some tips on style. Drop a hint and loop ’em in.