Chicago October

Once again Paul and I semi-spontaneously committed to Chicago.  For a day.

For the second year in a row Paul and I decided to make and take a day trip to Chicago.  And at the last minute we were able to add our chief financial officer-Lance.  

Spirit took us there nickel and diming us all the way.  It wasn't all that bad but if we stayed more than a day the costs would add up for packing a bag to carry on, to check, to print your boarding pass, to buy your ticket online.  It was a great price but then again, Paul said, if we booked the tickets at the counter at MSP we could have saved even more!  Well, maybe next time I scoot from work to buy tickets.  

So we went with no plans.  Plans were to be found.  I have had plans to shop Chicago for months so that's what I wanted to do.  But since I recruited Paul as the logistics coordinator and booking expert I had to broaden my horizon.  

After a few days of thinking plans found us.  We decided a train trip from O'Hare to Clark and Lake (I think but I'd have to check with our logistics coordinator) and from there jump on the red line to Addison.  We found our way up the red line to Wrigley and enjoyed a two hour tour of the old ballpark.  

I must say that Wrigley Field is in need of some updates.  The halls are narrow, old, stark and cold.  The press box looks and feels ancient.  In fact, you can see the wear on the tables where the typewriters were just lifted out and stored for the winter.  The locker room thinks baseball players are no bigger than 6'2" and 205 pounds.  And there's not much room to expand.  So, we know CC Sabathia will never sign with them for the clubhouse alone.  He doesn't fit.  

However, the tour as a whole was very enjoyable, interesting and informational.  It was fun to see the grassless field as they were leveling the field and doing maintenance before winter.  

After the tour we took the red line back to the loop where we eventually found Chick-fil-A for lunch.  It was the first time I'd been to one and it was good.  Soon they'll be open in Coon Rapids.  

Then I took over as the pseudo-entertainment coordinator.  

We hit the Louis Vuitton store just off of Michigan Avenue, took a look at the Kusama windows and went in.  Katie told a manager there, Preston, that I was coming so I stopped in and introduced myself to him.  It was nice to see the store, meet Preston, and understand a little bit more about Louis Vuitton.  

We also went to SuitSupply.  It's a great looking, newly opened, well merchandised store from the Netherlands.  It was apparently in the space that was formerly occupied by Barney's corporate offices.  So the "penthouse" really attracted to Paul's and Lance's lifestyle.    

I also dragged Paul and Lance silently kicking and screaming to Zara, Gap to see the GQxBest New Menswear Designers in America, AllSaints, Haberdash, CityTarget, Ralph Lauren, Bottega Veneta, J.Crew, Topshop/Topman and probably more I'm not remembering.      

After the afternoon of shopping we hit the green line to Oak Park where we called on Emily and Eric to pick us up.  Luckily, Eric was available and he took us on a quick tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright neighborhood before we ate Giordano's deep dish and apple crisp that Eric made.  

As always it was fun to see Eric and Emily and it was especially fun to play with Edie and have her excited to see me.  Ella played it cool and had to finish an episode on the iPad before saying hi to me. 

I must say, it is something that I should do every other month or at least 3-4 times a year with how fun and easy it is.  It felt like we were gone for a couple days, packing more of the punch into a short time.  

I think Lance and Paul had a good time and that we'll have to anti up to do it more often, make it more of a routine and see E4 more!  And get my hands on some great fashion.  :) 

A Sketchers I told you!

I told you to stay away from Sketchers shape ups!

Did you?  I sure hope so but if not it looks like you might be able to get your money back!

And honestly, I thought about how Sketchers had fallen off the map this morning on my run.

I ran to Como and around and stopped to stretch.  As I was stretching a woman walked by with an old beat up broken down pair of Sketcher's Shape Ups.  I shuttered.

Then, I thought about the brand and how much of a big deal they were at Herb's a year or year and a half ago they had shoe table collateral and were flying out of the store.  Fall came and so did the boots so Sketchers was de-emphasized.  And now, I laugh at how insignificant they are.

And now if you want your money back on them, go and get it!  (Wait, I hope no one who is reading this owns any.)

From Darren Rovell's twitter page.

WWD & Dunn Brothers

Here I sit.  I have a stack of WWD's on the table with coffee a sandwich and twitter running in the background.  I'm listening to Pandora.

I guess this will just be a public journal.

I want to buy Brunello Cucinelli's stock when it's offered.  I wonder what the offer will be?  He's started his IPO process.  What would it be like to work in Italy for him?  Does he have the best cashmere sweaters in the world?  I'm fascinated by a business like that, which goes public and how it gets valued.  That's one of the reasons why I like watching "Shark Tank."  I understand, that is a minuscule amount of information but it's the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I would love to understand about how a company gets running, becomes successful and then offers shares to the pubic.

Randa is going to buy Swank for $57.5 million.  That's fun to know because Randa is the vendor of a ton of our ties at Herb's and the come in boxes plastered in Randa.  Randa is the top men's accessories maker in the US with $450 million.  Wow.

Major eyewear makers like Oliver Peoples, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Gucci, Dior and more have frames specific for an Asian customer base? Yep.

There's a Longchamp article in here eyeing US expansion for the brand.  I met a woman, who spent $450 on a Coach handbag and a Dooney & Bourke handbag.  Hers was in great condition and I asked her what it was and how long she had been using it.  She replied "Longchamp and I've had it for 15 years!"  Wow!  I know I've heard of the brand, knew it was high end but goodness she had that thing in fantastic condition and it was definitely a style I hadn't seen in 15 years.  Or ever.  Then she pulls out her wallet  that she had been using for the same amount of time which was also in stellar condition.  Amazing.

Should I work for Longchamp?  "The US has now become our second-biggest market after France," Cassegrain said in an interview at his bright offices here. "We're still planning significant growth in the US."  They doubled warehouse facilities in New Jersey.

Let's pretend I got a job there.  As I sold the bags, accessories etc, I'd have my clientle list and as the years go by I'd give them a call; drop by and take a picture of their products showing how they wear/wore.  That would be fun to see how a Longchamp wears after 3,6,9,12 years and more.

There's an article on how Made in the USA is a bigger factor in the mind of American's lately.  Manufacturing has been going elsewhere for decades and jobs and the sentiment of Americans is that they want these products back.  Some companies are listening and bringing some things back.  Some see it, in an election year, as a political move some see it as patriotism.  I've been for it.  I just want a product that will last wash after wash, wear after wear, go out of style and be put away in tissue paper, folded nicely and come back decades later on my son or grandson.  Like the bright red pants Dad gave me this winter.  And the two pair of plaid pants, one red and cream and the other light blue, light orange and white checked I have in the basement right now.

But really, what is the cost and the move of moving things back here?  What is the real incentive?  The real cost.  What is the real motivation behind it.  I'd be interested to see that result.  

Alexander Wang.  Crazy good, hip, popular, modern designer right now right?  His executive team is Dennis and Aimie Wang, who are his brother and sister in law.  I'd love to know how they got those jobs.  Were they qualified?  Did they have experience in getting a start up going before?  What is their background?  Or are they just figuring it out as they go-like it seems like many start ups do.  Are they lawyers?  Finance/economics pros?  Hhhmm...

Duckie Brown (Steven Cox and Daniel Silver) will do Spring/Summer 2013 for Perry Ellis.

True Religion Net Falls 8.4%.  I like this headline because True Religion jeans are the biggest, gaudiest, over stitched, rock and roll denim that I do not care for.

"Samples  can cost $1,000 each or about $4,000 for a fur or coat.  This is the stuff I find interesting.  Gross margins-or the difference between the sales dollars brought in and the cost to produce and distribute goods-are generally good in the designer realm."  Initial margins could be 70% and fall to about 50%.  But the higher the margin the brand takes, the smaller its distribution.  A designer's magic number is $25 million.  Then it goes to $60 million for more investors with $100 to $200 million if it's successful.  Then comes IPO's.  Random-Michael Kors made $117 million from his IPO last fall.

I want to go to one of these fashion conventions in Las Vegas.  Or be there when one is going on.

J.Crew's fall 2012 collection for men by Frank Muytjens was inspired by the Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.  It's an ideal blend of polished dress-up with a rugged aesthetic.  Distressed denim layered under Harris Tweed blazers and wool coats...

Interesting he got some ideas from the film we watched at the Minnesota Science Museum.

NRF says that stores are moving fast on mobile landscape.  Wonder how I'd get a job in a tech company doing some of that.  I find it interesting but is it in my skill set?

Style Blog

Anyone have any good ideas of what I should call it?  I've got plenty of ideas, just tapping any new perspectives.

Obsessed

*Materialistic Blog*

This is the most amazing shirt of all time.  Classically American because of the oxford cloth.  European style with the cutaway collar.

Perfect for me.  And a Christmas idea.

Bonobos

*Eric, you should try their pants.  Free shipping and free return shipping.  You'll have to read more to find out why.

Bonobos, an online retailer that originally got into the market to get men some pants that fit.  But really, many people can do that so how did they really get in?  If memory serves me correct their niche is pants that fit guys with big butts and thick thighs or in their words, "real" men.  It seems that they got in, made their mark and expanded to be, in my opinion, one of the better men's online retailers out there.  (In terms of products, quality, style, fashion etc.)

So, I follow them on twitter and facebook and found they had an open, casual webcast with some guy who we'll call "Sandwith Ventures LLC" and the CEO Andy Dunn.  I watched and listened to the conversation and even jumped in a little bit.

It was interesting that he actually answered my question as well.  I mean, directly, answered my question.  Used my name, reminisced a little bit about the question and answered it.  

My first question was whether there was any plan for an actual store, since last April Fool's Day they sent out an email saying they were opening tons of new stores.  He said that maybe there was a time and a place.  He said they used some google data and plugged them into google maps, which probably had you put in your zip code to find it and it located "fake" stores.  He also said he'd like to model themselves after Apple in the sense that they're "awesome" and give them the same customer service they provide.  He also went into experimenting with their FitNinja's and pop up stores and possibly selling their products in existing stores. 

Anyway, he did a great job interacting with whoever was watching this webcast.  It just seemed interesting how well he answered questions and gave out information.  Maybe I'm just used to certain leaders closer to me where it's more difficult to get information from.  He even gave sales information   

They're bringing in Moseley Tribe, Sierra fall jackets, Eastland boots.  They're making a pair of pants that go for $100 and $40 worth goes to feed two kids for a year abroad.  They're thinking of doing a Made in the USA shop.

Anyhow, that's what I'm interested in and what I do on an occasional day off.  A chat with a CEO of an online retailer.  Business.  Clothing/Fashion/Style.  Information.

Merrell Boots-Emily, Megan, Katy?

I need to buy these boots for one of you this winter.  I think they are fantastic. 

Merrell Natalya Waterproof

Herberger's has them which is how I noticed them. 

Rugby Retweet

As you know, Paul and I went to Chicago on a whim on October 4th.

When we were in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, just off of W. Armitage Avenue and N. Sheffield Avenue I sent off a tweet.  Paul and I were visiting the Ralph Lauren Rugby store. 

It said this:

And on October 9th at 8:31am @RugbyRL retweeted me!  (That means they sent out my tweet to all of their followers, 15,424 of them.)  Normally 50-70 people look at a picture that I send out on twitter.  Well, soon I was over 1,000 views on my picture I took and tonight it's at 1,700 people looking at my picture!

Anyhow, I thought that was cool! 

America's Next Great Restaurant to Ratio/Clothing

Does anyone remember the NBC show America's Next Great Restaurant?

Well, Katy and I watched it because we enjoy cooking & food shows, the owner of Chipotle, Steve Ells, was an investor in the new concept restaurant and one of the three locations was to be Minneapolis. 

As the season progressed many places seemed like it'd be a great place to eat.  But from the beginning, despite a simple and probably not the most profitable idea, I liked the guy who had concepted "Meltworks."  It was a take on grilled cheese.  Well, not a take on grilled cheese, it was grilled cheese.  But he was to get creative with cheeses, combinations and dipping sauces.  I liked the idea and wanted it to succeed. 

Cutting to the chase, the owner Eric Powell, didn't win.  But he still had plans to open his "Meltworks" grilled cheese concept, I believe I read somewhere in the past. 

So, recently I've found a twitter account and website, Dappered, who is a knowledge on style and sales basically.  He must get a ton of emails and turns them into posts. 

But he featured a newer custom shirt company, ratio/clothing.  In the post, here, Five Favorites from Eric Powell, Owner of ratio/clothing.  I recognized the name, did some researching on the internet and found it's the same guy who was on America's Next Great Restaurant.   

In any case, I found it interesting he's an entrepreneurial enough to want to start his own restaurant but also jump into a different world of online retail sales.  I find both ideas of the restaurant and the custom shirting good concepts.  So, good for him on getting out there. 

Deconstructing Calvin Klein's

My old dress shoes had multiple cracks in the soles.  If I wore them on a rainy day or a day with damp ground my feet would always get cold and wet.  I dealt with it a couple of times but put them away for months.  I returned to them this summer as I was looking for a slimmer dress shoe to go with my slimmer pants.  So I brought them back out this summer and wore them some more but as the months rolled on I found them to make my back sore and tire sooner.

I learned how many different pieces come together in a pair of shoes, even a pair of $100 shoes made in China.  I found how the semi-transparent sole is glued on and after enough use will easily come apart.  I pretty much just tore it out with my hands once I got a piece I could rip at.  The stitching is cheap and much of it is a faux stitch that is glued behind it.  Even in the padding on the inside the stitching is faux and the whole bottom piece is glued to the bottom of the shoe.  It was fun to find out that most if not all shoes have a steel plank in them; I'd guess to help support your foot and keep the shape of the shoe.

So I came home from work one day, grabbed a box cutter, pliers and shears.  Here's what I came up with.  It was an interesting process!

Eric

Do you like...

I was just looking through some new fall/winter shoes and always think of mentioning things to you but finally just sat down for a few minutes to do it.  If I remember correctly, Emily, had be on a chase for some winter waterproof boots for you.  


Merrell Eagle Origins

Skymra Mid SL GTX





Tretorn Hilander Boot Vinter





Walden Boot Leather

High Fashion or Exchange Size?

I got a great deal from Tommy Hilfiger a couple of weeks ago. $27 dollars for 100% wool dress pants originally ticketed at $128. I got them when I got home from work and threw them right on!

Here's how they fit. Should I keep them and use them as high fashion or try and exchange them?














































Now, I think about keeping them because of the influence of Thom Browne, who designs for Brooks Brothers, and himself. He's been a huge influence on jackets, blazers and pants being a whole lot shorter than most of America is used to.

Martin Patrick 3 Grand re-Opening

Katy and I ventured out to a Grand re-Opening of Martin Patrick 3 in the North Loop of Minneapolis. I found out about the store about a year ago while on Pierrepont Hicks website.

So, I have been back numerous times since, most often perusing their fantastically textured ties, their summery bow ties, the start of them getting some clothing and their wallets, phone cases, business card holders and more.

















We were going to meet, James, a fellow manager at Herbs, there. We were one of the first people there as I had the NCAA Tournament to watch (ie-that UConn vs. Arizona post) so we didn't want to go late and stay all night. We wandered through looked at the goods and waited a bit for James to get there as he was fashionably late.

Once he arrived we walked through the new space with him and looked at their Altea Milano ties, Pierrepont Hicks neckwear, Corgi socks, Fred Perry polos, a great collection of vintage tie bars and cufflinks and books, notebooks and accessories that a gentleman would admire. We also stopped on the ID Design side, a furniture space for design and looked at vases, modern furniture and accessories.

Meanwhile, I found a Pierrepont Hicks bow tie and Katy found a tiny ring holder with the "at" @ symbol on it to put her rings in while she's getting ready. We people watched and finally got in line to get going to make our way to watch the UConn tournament game.

James and I said we were going to go and "dress to the 9's." And I tried.
























Katy went very nautical in her striped long sleeve crew neck shirt with a navy blazer styled with the arms rolled up and a nautical anchor necklace on.

I wore my new Clark's Desert boots with my more vintage Levi's from J. Crew last fall. I had on a charcoal belt on from Club Monaco a light blue oxford from Ralph Lauren and a Pierrepont Hicks tie casually fastened around my neck. It was a cool night so I layered with a DKNY charcoal blazer and a heavier DKNY navy blazer with vertical stripes giving it some differentiation from all of the solids I had on.






















































Ok, back to the story. We were "dressing to the 9's." I wanted to be trendy, fashionable, textured and layered since it was cold and I wanted to wear an oxford and a Pierrepont Hicks tie. So yeah, we were on our way out but the guy who rang me up noticed my tie and said "you should meet the creators of your tie." And around the corner comes Mac. It was perfect timing. He might have overheard but he looked right at me and said something to the effect of "I designed that tie" or "that's my tie." I shook his hand and he suggested we should meet his wife, Katherine.

Well we wandered to the other side of the dividing wall, patiently waited for a few minutes and talked with the creators of Pierrepont Hicks, Mac and Kat! It was a very fun conversation about the ties, how I wore it, how it was fun to see how 'real' people wore their products, their growing up in Minnesota and New York City and Katy and I growing up in Connecticut and California. We talked about business and how I went to Space519 in Chicago at Christmas to get my dad a Pierrepont Hicks tie but they didn't have one! They were engaging and interesting, have two young girls at home and seemed to really enjoy talking to us. We got on the subject of twitter and that we followed both the brand and Katherine herself; it was a fun 2011 connection partially through social media as I knew they'd be there at some point due to me and Katy following Katherine on twitter.

He kindly and very business like gave me his business card and encouraged me to buy ties right from him!

Oh, this is the bowtie I bought that night. And this is one I want, Nautical bow.

And I will.

I'm sure for me and Dad.

To Pop or Not To Pop

The men behind Gilt MANual answer your most pressing style questions.

-By Josh Peskowitz, Monday March 28th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

Collar

Cool Hand Luke

FLipped

Paul Newman

Pea Coat

Is this not a "functional purpose"?

Aside from the functional purposes, i.e. blocking the sun/for sports/cold, is it ever okay wear your collar turned up?

As I write this, dear reader, my collar is popped. I am sitting at my desk, indoors, and yet it is completely okay for my collar to be turned up—because this collar calls for popping. Now before people start calling for my head (and my neck is protected, so remember to swing the axe extra hard) let me say that collar popping should be mostly relegated to jackets; any overcoat is fair game, as is a blazer provided it’s of a sturdy material. While a suit jacket is a no-no, a jean jacket or a field coat are without question poppable, and don’t make me even talk about pea coats. A turned collar on a jacket seems more natural than on a shirt, so focus your flipping there—unless the shirt you’re considering the pop on is made of a sturdy material; heavy flannel or a rugby shirt come to mind. The truth is, popping one’s collar on anything other than a polo (which you should never do, that’s been ruined) comes down to personal preference, and you must carry it with absolute confidence. Ask yourself, “can I pull this off?” And if the there is doubt in your heart, it’s probably best to avoid it. Unless it’s a pea coat, then there’s no excuse.

TAGS: Collar, Cool Hand Luke, FLipped, Paul Newman, Pea Coat, Polo



This article is from GiltMANual.

I'd just like to say; how many years have I been popping my pea coat collar? Since my black Gap pea coat I bought for a Christmas Banquet at Bethel to my DKNY off-brown pea coat to my newer brown Timberland pea coat and my exquisite black Ralp Lauren pea coat with military influences I've been popping my pea coat collar for years!

30 Shirts

I needed to do some laundry for this week so I pushed through a few loads. However, it looked like dress shirts were going to need two cycles. They weren't that dirty, I just had that many.
































My favorite shirts are the two gingham navy and white shirts. The bigger gingham is Ralph Lauren with a spread collar. It looks great with navy, gray or black. You can't mess it up. The smaller gingham shirt is Tommy Hilfiger with a spread collar as well. I also like the light blue houndstooth shirt with a spread collar and made by Ralph Lauren. They were all cut to fit me better by my tailor, Altug. (Well, he's really not mine but I support his local business on occasion.)

Why do I wear spread collar? Because it helps widen my neck and face since I have a skinny neck and thin face.

Surprisingly it didn't seem like it took forever to iron everything. I think I did 13 or 14 on Monday night and then finished the next 16 on Tuesday morning while I watched "Run for your Life." It's a documentary on the founder of the NYC Marathon.

Mom, thanks for buying me my Rowenta and for teaching me how to iron!

What I Wore

Well, I didn't wear this today but the idea was given to me from Mr. Porter, a new website as a high end shopping website for men. It's outfitted with Burberry, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, John Lobb, Paul Smith and more. It offers style advice, style icons and more. It's a place that offers alot of what a very good blog does in terms of content but will also sell you the items. It's self promoting in the sense they'll place the products under the answer like the question below. They offered what high end items they had underneath the answer.

My friends dress very casually and it would be odd to wear a jacket and tie when I see them, but I cannot bring myself to go out for dinner in a T-shirt and hooded sweater. Is there a halfway house?

Yes: slim chinos, desert boots, a colourful belt (either woven or in canvas), a button-down shirt, a fitted cotton jacket, and perhaps a knitted tie. It will be smart enough to set you apart, but casual enough for you not to feel odd.

This is what I came up with.

DKNY navy striped three button sports coat
Club Room navy cashmere v neck sweater
Banana Republic long sleeve brown plaid woven
Ralph Lauren chocolate brown knit tie
Ralph Lauren navy and white striped nautical nylon belt
J. Crew classic fit chinos (actually J. Crew's slimmer cut)
Banana Republic gray and brown argyle socks
Clark's Desert Boots

What would you name/title a men's style blog?

Preppy

No doubt about it.

I'm preppy when it comes to style and dressing and clothing. It makes me happy that Connecticut has influenced me this way. I wonder what it would be like to be back in the Northeast.

I then fall into a more contemporary and modern brand with some vintage, outdoorsy and athletic vibes in there.

Preppy
Ralph Lauren
Gap
J. Crew
LL Bean
Land's End Canvas
Sperry Top Sider
Club Monaco
Pierrepont Hicks
Eddie Bauer
Brooks Brothers
Coach
H&M
Nautica
Tommy Hilfiger
Macy's-Club Room
Lacoste

Modern/Contemporary
Banana Republic
DKNY
DKNY Jeans
Steve Madden
Tretorn shoes
Club Monaco
Express
Ben Sherman
7 for all Mankind
H&M

Vintage
Levi's
Urban Outfitters
Fossil

Outdoorsy
Timberland
Columbia
Sorel

Athletic
Nike
Asics
Puma
Asics-Onitsuka Tiger
Saucony Originals

This is a running list.

Christmas List 2010

I find myself sitting on the couch tonight with Katy watching a documentary, Objectified, I'm reminded of Christmas because we're in our warm comfortable clothes with one blind open watching the snow fall from the sky.

(Objectified, turns out, is a very very interesting documentary about products and the design and thought that goes into each and every product-from your alarm clock, to your bowl for breakfast, to technology and more.)

It's been going for six hours by now and is accumulating to a few inches already. It'll continue through tomorrow morning.

But, I don't think I've mentioned much of a Christmas list and if I did I said I was going to expand on it.

Here's a quick outline of things I'd potentially like for Christmas 2010.

The Boring List-Gift Cards

1. Banana Republic
2. Gap
3. J. Crew
4. Express
5. Herberger's
6. Macy's
7. Nike
8. Sports Authority
9. Dick's Sporting Goods
10. The North Face
11. Columbia
12. Ralph Lauren
13. Thomas Pink
14. REI
15. Tommy Hilfiger
    
16. Martin Patrick (Minnesota only)
17. BlackBlue (Minnesota only)
18. Run N Fun
19. Target
20. Timberland
21. Levi's
22. Club Monaco
23. Aw heck, Marshalls
24. Land's End
25. Asics
26. H&M
    
27. Brasa (Minnesota only)
28. California Pizza Kitchen
29. Old Chicago
30. Chipotle
31. Oh, let's just make it an even 30.
    

Things I'm into right now

1. Shawl collar sweaters-merino wool, cotton, cashmere
2. Flannel shirts-Target, Club Monaco, J.Crew, Gap, Timberland, Banana Republic
3. Socks-J.Crew calls them "Camp" socks I believe. They're very textured, marled looking. (meaning ex. black and white fibers woven together creating what could be tv fuzz looking)
4. Thin ties-3" or less-wool, textured, herringbone or tweed in blacks, grays or browns. Maybe even some plaid textured ties.
5. Bow Ties-Pierrepont Hicks at Martin Patrick
   
6. Coffee-I've been looking for a higher quality four to six cup coffeemaker. They're hard to find, most are pretty cheap. (Black, stainless steel)
7. Cashmere-not so much the normal v-neck or crew neck but a shawl collar or cardigan or hoodie--J. Crew cashmere
   

Specific Items

1. Banana Republic-straight fit corduroy pants-Acorn color-31x32 (hopefully quality is consistent-tried one pair of 31x32 on in store and they actually worked. Normally BR 31x32 are too short.)-SALE NOW
   
2. Banana Republic-Tailored fit Italian wool two button navy suit-38R, 31x34
3. Banana Republic-Tailored fit charcoal herringbone suit-38R, 31x34
4. Express-Flannel two button light gray suit-38R, 31x34 or 32x34-SALE NOW
   
5. Express-Button down collar fitted shirt-either gray heather or heather gray-medium-SALE NOW
6. Express-Button down collar fitted shirt-gray plaid-same as above-just those two shirts combined into a plaid.
7. Run-N-Fun-wind briefs, Nike quarter length dri-fit running socks
   
8. Gap-hooded toggle sweater-navy/carbon blue-medium
9. Mentor Leader-Tony Dungy
10. Run to Overcome-Meb Keflezighi
11. Pre-
12. Sub 4:00 Alan Webb and the quest for the fastest mile-Chris Lear
    

iPhone shots...just giving you ideas and real life examples of things I'd like.



















REI
Marmot softshell track jacket
$175.
Uber-expensive but I just might have it for the rest of my life.



















REI
Marmot Zeus Vest
$130, have seen it on sale



















H&M
Shawl collar sweatshirt
Navy blue
Casual, warm, everyday/night use



















H&M
Outerwear vest
Grey herringbone
I like puffy vests. This one is great because it's got a herringbone pattern.



















H&M
Nordic Shawl Collar Sweaters
Ah, different. Just like 'em.



















H&M
Hoodie
Navy, Brown
A very inexpensive but warm and comfortable piece of clothing. *Something Mark would probably like. Simple, good colors, cheap enough to wear to work if he needed.



















H&M
Short sleeve graphic tee
Cheap and fun.



















H&M
Charcoal or black button up cardigan with hood.
Wear it casual, wear it dressy with a patterned dress shirt and skinny tie.



















H&M
Long sleeve blue and white striped woven
Wear it to work or wear it underneath the previous button up cardigan.



















H&M
Button up cardigan
Brown
Different, warm, fun.



















Macy's
The North Face
Denali hooded fleece
Wanted it in brown.
$179



















Macy's
Club Room cashmere plaid scarf





































Target 3 Pack Socks
$5, if I remember correctly.



















Target
Merona Thermal Henley-Medium
$15ish



















Target
Merona Duffle Coat
$75ish



















Gap socks



















Marshalls-snow shoes! I need another way to get some cardio this winter. Snow shoeing might be fun!

General Ideas

1. Banana Republic-you'd be very very safe there going there and getting just about anything.
2. J. Crew-you're pretty safe here as well.
3. Herberger's-I work there. We carry lots of stuff from men's to home to women's I'd buy for me or Katy
4. Macy's-I work in the mall. I wander in there alot. I can find something Club Room or Timberland boots or Ralph Lauren or some cheap trendy stuff or expensive fashion.
5. Twins, Timberwolves, Vikings tickets
6. Home improvement money?
   

Things I'm staying away from

1. Quarter zip sweaters-things that zip or button near my neck and don't lay down on my shoulders-rubbing on the back of my neck/head causing a headache
2. Western shirts
3. Skinny jeans

THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT FOR NOW

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