Navy Blue Blazer, American Made

Looking for a nice Navy Blue Blazer? Check out Anderson Little. They are an American company with an American made Navy Blazer for only $159 and free shipping. It is a classic navy blazer, with brass buttons and classic styling. Perfectly classic version of the essential blazer.

Anderson Little is an old school company with a long American history. The history is detailed on the website as:

Anderson-Little was founded in 1933 by Morris B. Anderson, and began as a manufacturer of fine men’s clothing in Fall River, Massachusetts, and pioneered the concept of “factory direct to you” following World War II, when it opened its factory showroom directly to the public, for retail sales.

Driven by the strength of this concept, by 1960 Anderson-Little had 11 retail outlets selling “factory direct to you” in Fall River, New Bedford, Providence, Hartford, Worcester, Springfield, New Haven, Bridgeport and other major markets in New England.

Stuart Anderson, Morris’ grandson, joined the management team after his graduation from the Wharton School of Finance. By 1966, this family business had grown to 40 outlets and had become one of the most recognizable brand names in New England, and the company was sold to Richman Brothers, a national chain headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Certainly glad that we can still find well made inexpensive clothes that are made in the states. This looks like a good start.

Always List - Navy Blazer

The navy blazer should be in every closet. It is quintessential American piece, a navy blazer and khakis is as American as apple pie & the Fourth of July. But a navy blazer works well beyond Cape Cod and mint juleps. The classic heritage of the blazer is the reason the look is so universal, versatile and wide ranging. A navy blazer will go with almost any outfit, and it should. It definitely should be in your closet.

Too start lets look at the most conservative use of a navy blazer. A structured J Press blazer with a raw silk tie, pocket square and classic bright and shiny brass buttons. This is blazer that will fit in at any Ivy League alumni function or day trip to Martha's Vineyard.

I like to wear the blazer best as the jacket in a suit & tie look. It can look modern and dressed up if it is the right cut: fitted, tailored and slim fit with natural shoulders (small to no shoulder pads) and no shiny brass buttons (stick with tortoise shell, navy or white). Find a good designer of modern fit jackets and buy the version they make. This will help make the blazer have a more versatile style.

A navy blazer is so much more than the uniform of the American bourgeois it is also the perfect casual jacket. It looks great with a cashmere sweater.

Or a nice polo shirt.

Or a plain white shirt.

It also looks great with jeans. Any type of jeans will work great, a nice pair or a destroyed pair, tie or no tie, button-down shirt or t-shirt, the navy blazer will be the right choice.

It even works when you wear shorts. (Granted you have to look like you are part of a rock band or a designer from Band of Outsiders).

It also works dressed down with a t-shirt and jeans. A navy blazer works great as a suit and in most sprezzatura outfits. The navy blazer provides tremendous utility and a must for every man's closet.

Always List - Gray Suit

Gray Suit - Having a suit is crucial for any man, but if you don't have one make sure you get a Charcoal Gray Suit or Dark Gray Suit. The fit of a good suit is essential to making the suit look good. A badly fitting expensive suit will make you look sloppy, while a well tailored inexpensive suit will make you look like a million bucks. The suit needs to fit differently depending on if it is a two-button or three-button suits.

The best way to find the right suit is to go to a place that will have multiple brands and cuts for you to try on like, Macys, Bloomingdales or Nordstroms. For your first suit, stay away from the pinstripes, window pane checks and keep it a plain simple charcoal gray. This suit will be accented by the shirt and tie and you can have more fun with the combination if the suit is plain. Also a pinstripe suit is hard to wear for a wedding, interview or funeral. Dark Gray will go well with brown shoes or black shoes. It will also go well with any color combination of tie and shirt.


So buy a plain charcoal gray suit. Make sure it is well tailored, slim fit. Make sure you are comfortable in the suit and you will have it for the next 5 years (at least).

Always List - Jeans

Jeans - It is certainly not revolutionary that a man should have jeans. But specifically, a man should have various types of jeans.

The Destroyed Pair - This is for the jeans that have the torn up knees, the thrashed cuff, the stains on the legs, the worn out back pocket. One of two ways to get this pair of jeans: buy it or earn it. If you are going to earn it, go the A.P.C. way. If you are going to buy it, think about the Abercrombie & Fitch. Their Remsen slim straight destroyed jeans have a great fit and nice level of destruction. (Typically I hate A&F, but I do have to say they have great jeans).

These jeans are best worn with a button down shirt or nice polo shirt. Capitalize on the sartorial contradiction of wearing worn out jeans with a nice clean shirt and shoes. These also work great with a blazer and converse. Utilize the jeans to add extra casualness to the outfit. Save the tshirt and jeans look for your other jeans.

The Favorite Pair - Do I really have to explain what makes a pair of jeans your favorite? This pair is not as torn up as the one above. It looks worn in, but is not destroyed, hopefully only has one or two small holes.
Wear this pair of jeans to the bar, to the ballgame, for kicking it with the girl. This pair of jeans are perfect for your favorite t-shirt. You could sleep in these jeans and probably have. Just make sure they are vintage slim fit.

The Nice Pair - Lastly, every guy needs a pair of crisp clean jeans that are for casual Friday at work, the important date, the dinner date or for meeting her parents. These are the jeans that you wear when slacks are too dressy, but you still have to look good. These jeans go better with a suit than a shirt, but hell they are jeans, they can be worn with anything. The Nice Pair of jeans are dark wash, non-faded, no distressing, no whiskering, no holes. We at DF recommend Selvage denim (also called selvedge denim) as it has cleaner lines. J Crew and the Gap have nice selvage denim jeans.
Remember, to dress the jeans up properly. Wear them with nice shoes and a well tailored jacket. Respect this pair of jeans as they are to be worn when you need to look nice. These are the jeans that work with any jacket and tie combination you own. Wear them only with dress shoes or casual shoes with good lines, like converse (save the skate shoes for the 90s flashbacks).

Always List - Watch

Watch - an everyday time piece is essential to a grown man's wardrobe, and no your cellphone will not work. The kind of watch that you should look for is a durable, well made watch and if you have the cash make it one that will last 30+ years. An everyday watch needs to be able to make the transition from a suit to jeans to a casual Saturday to a date. This is the kind of watch Steve McQueen, JFK or Frank Sinatra would have worn. A classic elegant time piece that has enough bulk to be noticeable, but not so much bulk as to look awkward.

Rolex Submariner - ~$2,000

Rolex Oyster Perpetual - ~$6,000

Tag Heuer Aquaracer - ~$1,500

Omega Speedster Automatic - ~$3,000
Oris Automatic - ~$800
Bulova Marine Star - $250
Breitling Colt Automatic - $2,200
Cartier Santos - $3,000

Always List - Boots

Every guy needs a pair of boots, a good pair of who-gives-a-damn-boots. The kind of boots that only look better the more wear and tear, or "character" they gain. The best boots can not be bought distressed but instead must earn the scrapes, scars and patina. Whether it be from riding on the chopper, doing yard work, or going to the bar, shit kicker boots are like a fine wine and a well dressed man, they only get better with time. A good pair of boots remind me of Marv, Mickey Rourke's character in Sin City, scars upon scars and each scar only improves his appearance. The kind of boots you need to feel comfortable saying, "This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back! There's no choice left. And I'm ready for war." As Marv would tell you.

Frye Boots, Rogan Engineer 8 inch boots will work. Made well, classic style, good silhouette (sleek and full bodied), wooden heel with a rubber sole, rounded toe, high quality leather, no zipper. These boots can go from the board room to the bar to the motorcycle with ease.

Always List - Oxford Shirt

Sometimes in fashion we forget to praise the simple and classic. So often the focus and praise falls on the new, the flashy and even the odd. During the summer fashion shows a lot of articles praised Gucci for turning dress slacks into cutoff shorts, because they were a new idea; despite the look being so ugly and impractical that no one would wear them outside of a few fashion designers and label whores. Instead there should be an endless slew of articles about the practical, simple garments that fill our closets and actually get worn on a daily basis. Fashion writers should filter their approval and disapproval through a net of reality. Would anyone actually wear this crap? Will they wear it more than once? Will it be a mainstay in anyone’s closet for more than one soon to be forgotten season?

It is time we praise the mainstays of fashion, the essential clothing that no matter the trends are still worn; the pieces that we never fear may be out of style. We all love the simplest of pleasures in fashion, the articles of clothing that you can proudly call your favorite, not because they are trendy, but instead because they have earned that right after the 150th wash. Your favorite shirt was worn when you landed the job, met the girl, saw your team win the pennant, you beat your buddy in pool and won the wing eating contest. The favorites in any closet are always in style, are well made and will be still be made when you need a replacement, if you ever need a replacement. These items are on the “Always List” of fashion.

The Always List mainstay: the Oxford Shirt -

Every man has at least one Oxford shirt in his closet and most men have multiple oxfords. Hopefully, in your closet there are multiple oxfords in varying degrees of wear and tear.

• The Dressy Oxford: Worn as a staple to the office because it goes with anything. This one is crisply ironed and fits like a champ. It is the nicest oxford in the closet and will go with a suit and tie as well as it does with a deconstructed blue blazer. The Dressy Oxford can be found at Ralph Lauren or Brooks Brother (pictured in order). The later has a great non-iron blue Oxford that can be worn for any occasion.

• The Favorite Oxford: It has been washed so many times it certainly doesn’t have the same crispness it once did, but who needs crisp when you have comfort. It is the go-to-shirt when you need to have a button down shirt, yet you don’t know what else to wear. It’s perfect under a sweater for big date and always looks good under a jacket. It is also at home paired with a tie. At this point it prefers chinos or jeans, but don’t count it out with slacks. Basically it is a refined but slightly casual look. Rugby.com, J Press & Ben Silver (pictured in that order) are the best Oxfords that after about 10 washes will be your favorite.

• The Casual One: The oxford that has been washed and worn so many times it is slightly frayed at the collar cuffs and buttons, but due to the hefty fabric is still in quite good condition. As you wear your favorite more, it will get to this state. Until then J Crew and Gap (once again, in that order) provide options for those of us that lack patience. This Oxford is still a staple for a night out to the local bar or for errands on a Saturdays. It should be more important for any grown man's fashion rotation then a t-shirt, we are beyond the college humor shirts, or at least we should pretend we are. This is a great comprise, it is just as comfy, it will fit in on any Eastern campus and it adds refinement to the college humor shirt when it is layered over it.
  

A good oxford is like a favorite pair jeans or your go-to-boots. They only get better with time. It just might be the most versatile shirt in your closet and endorsed by the coolest guys, including Paul Newman. It is easy to make it your own, just wash it.