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This is a simple post. I wanted to find out who has the best madras shirts in 2019. Best madras is very subjective. I myself like a really good muddy madras so that’s what I am focusing on. It is also about the fabric, but the internet makes that part a little harder. Here we go.

What is a muddy madras you ask? I am talking about earth-tone madras typically a variety browns and greens with red, yellow, or orange highlights. These madras may seem a little conservative when compared with their bright pink or pastel brothers but don’t overlook them. They are easy to wear (especially good in hot autumn weather) and easy to look at while still offering up some really wonderful patterns. If you find madras hard to wear these shirts are your friend.

I found three places with a good muddy madras. No surprises here either with the three being J.Press, John Simons, and O’Connells. They are in the $100 and up market, but this really shouldn’t shock any of us at this point. They all do look nice though. All three stores also have a lot of other nice madras shirts.

I took the plunge and ordered a pair of camp mocs. I purchased a pair of Eastland camp mocs which weren’t mentioned in my post, but they were on my radar. Luckily for me someone mentioned them to me on ‘Gram and I doubled back.

I can’t offer much of a review at this point because they don’t fit. In my opinion they don’t fit because I did not order my size. I ordered a half size up because so many reviewers on Amazon stated how small they fit. Now I am not sure if these reviewers have worn non-athletic shoes before or what, but these mocs feel very true to size to me.

Now I know I am not alone in being a review reader. I am not just talking about Amazon reviews, but also searching forum after forum for sizing help. Believe me, I completely understand wanting to get it right the first time. Returns are the worst. I may have decided on a new approach today. Just buy my normal size and go from there. The reason why is that trying to determine my size often results in inaction and when I do take action it only works out half of the time anyways. Thanks for letting me vent.

Overall I am happy with the shape and color (bomber brown) of the shoe. Especially for $100. I was overly concerned about the heel on this moc. I wanted a true camp moc sole which has no heel, but the heel here is not as pronounced as I had feared. The construction feels Sperry or Weejun-ish. So not great, but a nice light semi-disposable moc. A negative to some, but a positive to me. Oh, and despite this post don’t ever ever hesitate to ask me for sizing help!!!

This week I want to share one of the better pieces of trad info that I picked up on the internet somewhere. This tip helps you determine whether or not a jacket is a 3/2 roll or a standard 3-button jacket.

The devil is in the details. The details here are the buttonholes. On a lot of 3/2 roll jackets the buttonhole will be finished on the backside of the button. The reason being is that because of the roll it is the back of the buttonhole that will actually be visible. So if you look at all three buttons the top button will not be finished (or not finished as nicely) on the same side (the front) as the other two. The exception is where the buttons have been finished the same on both sides.

If you are ever out thrifting and find yourself facing this question give the button trick a try. My only other advice is that if it’s not rolling that it probably won’t. If you are wondering if it is an orphan suit jacket look for buttons that contrast (most suits buttons match the color of the suit) and casual details like swelled edges and patch pockets. That’s all I got. Good luck out there!

I am in the process of trying to find a pair of jeans that I like and in that struggle I found a belt that I had forgot about. It’s a simple leather belt that I had made 10 plus years ago in the middle of a mall.

I had this belt made before I started to a work for an insurance company. I wanted a simple leather belt. I was struggling to find one that I liked and that fit me. Then I remembered this kiosk in the middle of the mall where I had purchased a few belt buckles. You know the kind of place. Ran by a mountain looking man in leather. He sold buckles of all kind large and small, NASCAR leather jackets, leather goods, maybe knives, and now important to me leather belts.

I wish I remembered the man’s name, but I don’t. The mall is still there, but empty. I do remember him saying that he had a small place on Mackinaw island that he ran in the summer. He did the kiosk off-season. The short of it is that he was a great guy and could help me out. When we started to talk about the belt he guided me to a few hundred leather straps to look through. I picked my buckle and leather. He then measured me, asked me about width, and told me to come back the next day. I did and it was perfect. He made and sold this belt for around $20. It was money well spent.

There are still places where you can get belts made. For example,
Narragansett Leathers is still around offering moderately priced leather goods. I am sure there are others out there as as well along with people making other stuff like shirts and moccasins. Enjoy it while it is here and get while the getting is good.

Spring is right around the corner and while it is hard to imagine today you will be reaching for a pair of shorts before you know it. If you are anything like me you have already started to assess your spring clothing needs. If this list contains a pair of shorts I wanted to be sure to get this post out in time for it to be helpful.

When it comes to shorts the leg opening is key. Of course I learned this the hard way. I have a few pair of shorts, but I kept leaning towards one pair even though they were a bit big in the waist. I even liked them better than a pair of old work chinos that I modified into shorts. I was at a loss as to why.

It didn’t hit until I was at the mall trying on pair after pair of shorts. I remember putting on a pair and thinking, I hate the way that these fit. Why are the legs so narrow? Boom. I had figured it out.

Not only did I dislike the silhouette of the skinny shorts, but they weren’t comfortable either. If I am going to be slumming around in shorts I at least want them to comfortable and for them to help keep me cool. This is exactly what my wider legged shorts accomplished. Oh, and I think that they look better too.

When it comes to finding these shorts don’t over complicate it. While I like J.Crew 1040 chinos I stay away from their short offerings for this very reason. My favorite pair of shorts are from Chaps, I also picked up a pair of Ralph Lauren shorts at TJ Maxx for cheap, and my Patagonia shorts work out just fine.