A Picture of Home

Master Bedroom by Andrew Wyeth

Master Bedroom by Andrew Wyeth, more so than any other singular image, reminds me of my childhood home. This feeling comes primarily from the fact that a framed print of this mid-century American classic hung in my home growing up. However, when I self-analytically dig a little deeper, the reasoning goes far beyond familiarity with a decoration. All art – visual, music, literary, etc. – speaks to me foremost through relatability. My favorite novels and films star characters that I can relate to. My favorite music contains lyrics that express emotions I feel. My favorite paintings depict scenes similar to my own life. Master Bedroom feels like it is an image plucked from a childhood memory that never actually happened to me.

The dog, serenely curled up with it’s head on a pillow, has a calming effect on me. I’ve had dogs my entire life and seeing them peacefully resting provides a tranquility beyond anything achievable pharmaceutically. Dogs are hyper aware of their surroundings because of their keep senses of smell and hearing so if they are at ease then you should be too. There is an added comfort from the dog being on the bed. My imagination inevitably plays a scene forward from this still frame where I lay down beside the dog and gently doze off as I have done for real so many times before.

My parents had a pure white cotton blanket with a woven and fringed border that was often on their bed during warmer months. They also had a dark brown four-post bed not unlike the one depicted here. However, nothing else about the bedroom in the painting looks like anything from my own life because it is so sparsely decorated. But it is this sparseness that furthers the tranquility of the painting. The neutral monotone colors and lack of extraneous details are similar to a dream. You see a dog, perhaps a specific dog from your life or some amalgamation of multiple dogs. Then you see a window with a hint of the exterior of the house and a few tree branches, the only details your subconscious would provide in a dream. Maybe this isn’t my room or my dog but I feel like I’ve lived here and I want to snuggle up next to this dog.

Wyeth is known for portraying detailed subjects in minimal, dream-like backgrounds. His most famous work, Christina’s World (owned by the MoMa), shows a girl in a pink dress laying down in a field, looking at two buildings in the distance. One building is given enough detail to clearly be a farmhouse while the other is blurred and left to the imagination. Just as with Master Bedroom, there are two clear details and the rest is left clean and open for the viewers imagination to interpret like the remnants of a dream.

The story goes that Wyeth’s title for the painting was a double entendre. The “master” alluded to in Master Bedroom is in fact the dog on the bed who was Wyeth’s own dog, named Rattler. Inspiration came for the painting when Wyeth came home exhausted one day and wanted to lay down. He found Rattler had already made himself comfortable in the master bed. It was clear that Rattler had usurped Wyeth as the master of the house. This is a realization familiar to anyone who has owned and loved dogs. It is also why I find this painting to be eternally relatable and why it will always feel like home to me.

A Case for Cheap Sunglasses

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things!

Persol 649

Steve McQueen is responsible for more iconic pieces of menswear than anyone else who never designed a thing in their lives. Of all the items McQueen routinely wore, none called to me as strongly as his collection of Persol sunglasses. The rounded frames in tortoise shell with semi-transparent metal details looked simultaneously inimitable and timeless. When I walked into a Sunglass Hut with my mother on my twenty-fifth birthday and she offered to buy me anything I wanted, I knew exactly what I was going to get. I found a pair of Persol 649s in Resina (a blonde tortoise shell), tried them on and never wanted to take them off. The flexible metal inlays on the bridge and stems immediately struck me. I had seen them countless times in pictures but was never aware of their function. I came to find out that they were Persol’s proprietary Meflecto system, designed to add comfort through frame flexibility. They’re the kind of product detail you can’t really know until you’ve felt them in your hands. Wearing those sunglasses made me immediately cooler(in my mind).

My beautiful Persol 649s remained in my possession for approximately two and a half years. Until one fateful day when I wore them to brunch in New York City. My most cherished shades remained on my face until sunset when I tucked them securely into the chest pocket of my oxford shirt. But secure they were not, as they were never to be seen again. The next morning I woke up and performed the typical accounting of possessions from the previous evening and could not find my sunglasses. In a panic, I texted a few friends and called the bar where I had taken them off. My search was fruitless and the cause was lost. Upon that day I declared to myself that I would never again spend more than $100 on sunglasses because they would eventually be lost. Simply put: I can’t have nice things.

MVMT Navigator

My beloved Persols were hardly the first pair of expensive sunglasses I had lost. Several Ray Ban aviators were scattered to the winds in college. I misplaced a couple pairs of Oakleys when I was a teenager. Countless of nameless shades were lost and broken over the years. By the tail end of my twenties it became apparent to me that, despite having matured overall, I remained irresponsible with my accessories. I came to terms with the fact that spending any more than $100 on such a fleeting possession would be a frivolous expenditure. However, all those cheap sunglasses I had gone through felt like sacrifices to the style gods and just the cost of doing business. Therefore, I would buffer my remaining collection of pricy frames with disposable pairs that I wouldn’t mind losing.

Fortunately, around this time, the market for cheap sunglasses was booming with the rise of direct-to-consumer retail companies. Startups like Warby Parker, Knockaround, Quay, and MVMT began to offer products similar in construction and quality to the fashion giants. Luxottica’s monopoly over the eyewear industry has set an unreasonably high market price standard for decades. The wave of new independent brands cut these massive markups with simplified production and distribution systems. The result became a broad range of stylish eyewear that could be had at practical prices if one were willing to wear an unfamiliar name on their temple.

BluBlocker Aviators

There were also some classic alternatives. Most drugstores, gas stations, and discount clothing retailers have some diamonds in the rough that can be sought out for rock bottom prices. Second hand shops are a great source for vintage looks at a fraction of their original prices. Then there’s the O.G. of cheap direct-to-consumer sunglasses: BluBlocker. My dad wore these in the 90s and they’re as cool now as they were then (please note, my dad was otherwise decidedly uncool). They make several styles but their acetate aviators are the way to go. They come in three color options, with occasional limited edition colorways. At $30 a pair or $50 for a two pack, the price is simply unbeatable.

These days, my higher end shades only come out when I am in a position to bring their case with me and I keep them securely pocketed when they’re not on my face. Any time I go out without a coat or bag and certainly whenever alcohol is involved, I adorn my face with a robust rotation of cheap shades. Of course, this advice is only for those absent-minded of their accessories, such as myself, or for those who think spending over $100 on sunglasses is silly to begin with. If you trust yourself, have the disposable income to spend frivolously on sunglasses, or simply refuse to wear anything other than Tom Ford on your face, then please disregard my advice.

A Decade Under the Influence

An Essay Redefining Influencer for the Post COVID-19 Market

Brad and his fiance pretending to be Influencers

I recently fell into a hole, so to speak. This proverbial online rabbit hole began on a blog I routinely follow and ended several URLs later on a GQ article. Each article referenced the next as I progressed down the line. They all detailed projections of the menswear market post-COVID-19. A consensus was reached as the articles fleshed out forecasts from each writer’s unique perspective. The common ground reached was that suiting is on its way back and American craftsmanship will grow along with it through startup brands. A sound argument was made that shoppers should focus on smaller brands, both new and heritage, which specialize in their respective fields. The prevailing mantra for buying menswear and goods should be quality over quantity. Every item should be considered for durability and longevity as well as aesthetic and comfort. Higher price points should be viewed as investments in pieces that will be cherished for a long time. In short: Fast Fashion and disposable goods have no place in the future of men’s style. 

In the interest of transparency, I am obligated to note that these were not revelations to me but rather vindications of viewpoints I’ve held for some time. These writers are all trusted and respected names in the world of style journalism. My journey began on David Coggins’ blog The Contender and ended on a GQ article by Cam Wolf, by way of Michael Williams returning to The Continuous Lean. By the time I stepped out of the hole and back into reality I felt well affirmed in my shopping habits. That’s when it occurred to me that I had been influenced in the truest sense of the word. Three trusted writers influenced my opinion in a way that will continue to dictate my shopping habits.

This kind of influence is the desired effect all marketing teams look for when contracting Influencers to promote their brands. The problem is that the people who have come to be known as Influencers over the past decade seldom hold any real influence over shopping habits. The title of Influencer has become a blanket term for anyone with a broad audience. Individuals with large social media followings that otherwise don’t do anything of note have been lumped in with creatives and bonafide celebrities. The perception that followers, likes, and views translate into sales for a promoted brand has prevailed for the past decade. While this was true when social media began proliferating into every corner of society ten years ago, that simple translation did not last long for the fashion industry.

A Toast!

Here’s to beer, whiskey, and wine

Companions till death do we part

For they may break my liver some day

But they will never break my heart

I’ve found that being able to give a toast whenever the opportunity arises is an endearing quality to have. Crafting an original on the spot, custom built for the company at hand, is always ideal. This skill requires some top notch wit combined with some insight of your audience. However, having your own all-purpose original toast up your sleeve is a strong alternative. Chances are that most of your fellow drinkers will not have heard it before and it will come off as improvised. As for your close friends, who will hear it again and again, it can become a trademark of your character. Just remember to use it sparingly as to retain its luster. I came up with this one years ago and it has served me well ever since. Cheers!